Automated testing is a key component of process automation, as it helps ensure the quality and reliability of your workflows and applications. But how do you collaborate with developers in automated testing, especially if you have different roles, tools, and expectations? Here are some tips to help you communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with developers in automated testing.
The testing pyramid is a model that shows the different types of automated tests and their distribution. The base of the pyramid consists of unit tests, which are written by developers to test individual components of the code. The middle layer consists of integration tests, which are written by developers or testers to test how different components interact with each other. The top layer consists of end-to-end tests, which are written by testers or business analysts to test the entire functionality and user experience of the application. The testing pyramid suggests that you should have more unit tests than integration tests, and more integration tests than end-to-end tests, as the higher-level tests are more expensive, time-consuming, and brittle. By understanding the testing pyramid, you can align your testing strategy with the developers and avoid duplication, gaps, or conflicts in your test coverage.
Collaborating with developers in automation testing involves several key practices.I collaborate closely with developers in automated testing by fostering open communication channels and active participation in Agile ceremonies. We discuss testing requirements, share progress updates, and identify potential issues early on. Leveraging developer-friendly automation frameworks and advocating for CI/CD practices, we integrate automated tests into the development pipeline for immediate feedback and quality assurance. This ensures effective collaboration and the delivery of high-quality software products.
The test pyramid is a great example of testing collaboration between developed and testers. A consistent practice that has helped improve test efficiency is to have the developers focus on api contract testing as part of integration tests whereas the testers focussed on the functional and solution testing as part of end-to-end test automation. This helps improve automation test coverage with minimal redundancy in test efforts.
One of the challenges of collaborating with developers in automated testing is to use a common language and framework that both parties can understand and use. For example, if you are using a keyword-driven or data-driven approach to write your test cases, you should use a framework that supports that style and that can integrate with the developers' tools and platforms. Similarly, if you are using a behavior-driven or specification-driven approach to write your test cases, you should use a framework that allows you to write your test cases in a natural language that can be shared and verified by the developers. Some examples of common frameworks for automated testing are Selenium, Cucumber, TestNG, JUnit, and PyTest. By using a common language and framework, you can reduce the learning curve, improve the readability and maintainability, and facilitate the collaboration and feedback between you and the developers.
As obvious as this may seem, I haven't had the chance to work on a common language and framework until more recently and this has been a revelation of sorts. Among the many advantages, it helps when an entire team works with the same language and framework resulting in more help available locally when issues arise. Additionally, reuse of certain common libraries between the product code base and automation framework helps reduce development effort. To a certain extent, this also facilitates role transition between automation and development engineers.
Another way to collaborate with developers in automated testing is to follow the agile principles and practices that promote iterative, incremental, and collaborative development. For example, you can use the Scrum methodology to plan and execute your testing activities in short sprints, where you can define your test goals, prioritize your test cases, execute your test cases, and report your test results. You can also use the Kanban methodology to visualize and manage your testing workflow, where you can limit your work in progress, monitor your bottlenecks, and optimize your throughput. Furthermore, you can use the DevOps practices to integrate your testing into the continuous delivery pipeline, where you can automate your test execution, verification, and reporting, and ensure that your testing is aligned with the deployment and release cycles. By following the agile principles and practices, you can enhance your communication, coordination, and cooperation with the developers and deliver high-quality software faster and more reliably.
Dos conceptos fundamentales que hay que entender primeramente: 1) No hay que quedarse paralizado por el análisis, es decir, hay que actuar. 2) Debido a lo anterior, es importante asumir que se nos olvidarán variables relevantes a la hora de desarrollar nuestro proceso automatizado. Por tanto, es crucial seguir métodos ágiles para probar e integrar nuestro proceso automatizado, ya sea en una línea de negocio o en una línea de desarrollo tecnológico. Se debe implementar el siguiente proceso de manera iterativa: 1) Dise?o de especificaciones 2) Desarrollo del proceso 3) Test 4) Análisis de resultados 5) Arreglo de fallos y/o redise?o de especificaciones Siempre teniendo en cuenta las partes implicadas y la necesidad de reacción en cada caso.
A final tip to collaborate with developers in automated testing is to establish clear roles and responsibilities for each party. For example, you can use the RACI matrix to define who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for each testing activity, such as test planning, test design, test execution, test reporting, and test maintenance. You can also use the MoSCoW technique to prioritize your test cases based on their importance, such as must-have, should-have, could-have, and won't-have. By establishing clear roles and responsibilities, you can avoid ambiguity, confusion, or conflict in your testing process and ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.