#LFMF: Tales of Test Automation Gone Wrong

# L F M F (and others who shall r anonymous emain even if they deserve it)! don’t Learn from My Fail: Tales of Test Automa6on Gone Wrong (Plus a Li*le Bit about How to Do It Right) Elisabeth Hendrickson Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. @testobsessed

Fail Pa;ern #1: Automa6on for the sake Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. of automa6on If you really want a mess, use a count of automated tests as a measure of progress.

Fail Pa;ern #2: All automa6on is end-‐to-‐ Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. end through the GUI End-‐to-‐end tests are slow and fragile. Some are good. More are not beJer.

Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. Flooded basement image courtesy of carlpenergy Showerhead image courtesy of deusx Images from Flickr licensed through CreaFve Commons AJribuFon

Fail Pa;ern #4: Fragile Tests Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. They pass, they fail, but there seems to be no correlaFon between the test results and the actual so7ware behavior.

Yes, I have actually… seen this in Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. tests.!assert True But rare ly. More… common: tes rets that ify the s oftwa ver does w hat the softwar e does.!

Fail Pa;ern #7: Bad Tests Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. Obfuscated intent, massive duplicaFon, and Fght coupling between the interface and the tests makes for an unmaintainable mess.

Test Login Input Text first_name fred Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. Input Text last_name flintstone Input Text user_name fflint Input Text password p@ssw0rd Click Submit Click Logout Click Login Input Text username fflint WAT?!?! Input Text password badpassword Click Submit Input Text ...

Fail Pa;ern #10: Forcing devout non-‐ Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. coders to write automa6on If they lack either interest or apFtude to automate, the results will be bad.

Fail Pa;ern #11: Tests That Don’t Get Run Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. Someone writes them, no one runs them. So when they suﬀer bitrot, no one can hear them scream.

Unrun ! tests! Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. become ! creaky,! dusty,! sad.!Photo by crabchick hJp://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/crabchick/2627370039/ Licensed under CreaFve Commons AJribuFon

#LFMF Copyright © 2012 Elisabeth Hendrickson, Quality Tree So7ware, Inc. Automate important expectations!Treat test code with the same level ofcare as production code!Run all the automated tests in the CIbuild (no manual kickoff)!Fix failing tests immediately!Foster a “whole team tests” culture!

https://si0.twimg.com	9
http://www.twylah.com	3
https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net	2
http://tweetedtimes.com	2
http://a0.twimg.com	1
http://us-w1.rockmelt.com	1

#LFMF: Tales of Test Automation Gone Wrong

by Elisabeth Hendrickson

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

6 Embeds 18

Statistics