• UnderAutomatedProjects

Testing When You're Not Automated (Yet)

Summary

The fastest way to move through the jungles of Borneo is to fly over them. Unfortunately, that advice is useless should you find yourself stranded on foot in the middle of the densest rainforest on earth.

Ideally, as an Agile tester you would enjoy full participation of customers and programmers in creating automated acceptance tests for every feature (before it’s coded), and manual regression testing would be a thing of the past. For many reasons, this is not often the case. How do you balance releasing rapidly with adequate testing, especially when you’re dealing with an existing product with few or no automated tests?

Learning Outcomes

• How to get control over manual regression testing.
• How to engage product owners and programmers.
• How to prepare for automated acceptance testing.
• How to make time for learning and adding automation.

Process/Mechanics

Essentials (10 min)

• Essential and non-essential responsibilities - facilitated discussion

Regression testing (25 min)

• Headlights, taillights and the need for adjustable regression plans
• Using Jeff Patton’s “storymap” technique for your test outline
• How to create a storymap for testing - explanation and exercise
• Deciding what to test - two case studies (one technical test team, one non-technical test team)
• Questions?

Story testing (25 min)

• User stories are tokens for conversations
• “Fast-track” acceptance criteria workshop - explanation and exercise
• Using the workshop with iteration planning and estimation
• Conversations are a prerequisite for test automation
• Questions?

Continuous improvement (15 min)

• Improving testing skills - facilitated discussion, referencing Bach/Bolton’s “Rapid Testing” work, my own experience and the group’s experiences
• Adding automation - facilitated discussion, referencing Mike Cohn’s “Test Pyramid”, my own experience and the group’s experiences
• Making time - case studies

Conclusion (15 min)

• Questions?
• Everyone shares their “ah-ha” insights on stickies on the wall