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(Exploratory) Testing with Scripted Support
The document discusses exploratory testing with scripted support. It describes a common agile development model and suggests that testing preparation and execution can occur during feature investigation, planning, and design phases. Exploratory testing requires elements like domain knowledge, test environment understanding, rapid learning, and communication. The document warns against common misconceptions that exploratory testing means less documentation, structure, and traceability when in fact it requires more responsibility and communication from skilled testers.
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(Exploratory) Testing with Scripted Support
- 1. (Exploratory) Testing WithScripted Support Experience & Considerations Simon Morley October 2014 Saturday 25 October 14
- 2. My Situation Context • Complex Environment • Meaning overhead & set-up costs • Meaning preparation, tooling or ordering • Many signaling protocols • Meaning script support for signal injection and check • Agile & Incremental SW Development Saturday 25 October 14
- 3. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Saturday 25 October 14
- 4. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Where testing prep & execution happens Saturday 25 October 14
- 5. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Where testing prep & execution happens Saturday 25 October 14
- 6. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Where testing prep & execution happens Saturday 25 October 14
- 7. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Where testing prep & execution happens Saturday 25 October 14
- 8. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Where testing prep & execution happens Saturday 25 October 14
- 9. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Where testing prep & execution happens Saturday 25 October 14
- 10. Testing in Agile • A common “agile” development model: • Backlog item / Opportunity Analysis • Plan • Design • Test • Build • Iterate Where testing prep & execution happens Saturday 25 October 14
- 11. Testing before “testing” • Testing in the “Opportunity Analysis”, “Planning” & “Design” “phases” might be: • Feature Investigation - from a testing perspective • Testable? • Creates issues with existing framework, tools and maintenance? • Feature Walkthrough Saturday 25 October 14
- 12. Possible Testing Approach • Investigate the new feature development • Develop framework and tools, develop scripts, comms, test scripts & framework & feature, comms, debug scripts, comms, debug environment, comms, test feature, comms, report completion, archiving. Saturday 25 October 14
- 13. Feature Investigation •Feature Walkthrough • Test environment impacts & walkthrough • Test Analysis summary Saturday 25 October 14
- 14. Test Analysis Summary • Describe* or reference the current feature, test environment and framework situation • Describe* impacts to test environment and framework • Describe* approach • Include coverage goals for product, feature and testing Saturday 25 October 14
- 15. Comms? • Communication • Can be: Verbal & Written • Can be: Formal & Informal • Always: Two-way! • Reporting - stand-ups, progress boards, meetings • Reflect & decide about next steps Saturday 25 October 14
- 16. Reflect & Decide? • What has the testing so far revealed? • Product coverage goals met? • Testing coverage goals met? • Perceived risk acceptable? • Stakeholder view on these? Saturday 25 October 14
- 17. Reflect & Decide#2 • Next steps? • Additional test steps? • Enough already? • Change direction or approach? Saturday 25 October 14
- 18. Reflect & Decide#3 • Pause & Reflect • Control Q: “What don’t we know?” • Silent Evidence • Note: This pause & reflection is important - see thinking about heuristic discovery. Saturday 25 October 14
- 19. Necessary support? •Can the tools & framework support changes? • Is the tool & framework architecture modular? • Remember to test the tool architecture!!! • Do the tools & framework allow quick prototyping? • If not -> fix it! Saturday 25 October 14
- 20. Describe* • Describe:Meaning the level sufficient in the team or project. • If coordination is needed between teams this should be a format that is commonly understood (picture/ symbols, dashboard or text document). • You agree what’s appropriate! Saturday 25 October 14
- 21. Exploratory Testing Traps • Sometimes people think of ET means less:- • Documentation • Structure • Traceability • And more • Random banging on a keyboard Saturday 25 October 14
- 22. Exploratory Testing Traps • Sometimes people think of ET means less:- • Documentation • Structure Wrong !!! • Traceability • And more • Random banging on a keyboard Saturday 25 October 14
- 23. ET Traps #2 • Actually ET is about more responsibility in skilled testing • The skilled tester is responsible for communicating his/her approach, thinking, results and any mandated archiving Saturday 25 October 14
- 24. ET Traps #2 • Actually ET is about more responsibility in skilled testing • The skilled tester is responsible for communicating his/her approach, thinking, results and any mandated archiving I.E. Plenty of structure, traceability & documentation where appropriate! Saturday 25 October 14
- 25. ET Traps #3 • No support for skilled testers and testing. • Support for skilled testing is a pre-requisite (hand-in-hand) to realizing emphasized tester responsibility. Saturday 25 October 14
- 26. ET Traps #3 • No support for skilled testers and testing. • Support for skilled testing is a pre-requisite (hand-in-hand) to realizing emphasized tester responsibility. Fix these if you want good & valuable testing! Saturday 25 October 14
- 27. Discussion • Exploratorytesting can be performed with scripting support • Good testing (in complex environments) requires elements of: • Domain knowledge - built through early investigation • Test environment knowledge & understanding Saturday 25 October 14
- 28. Discussion #2 •Plus • Rapid learning • System and problem analysis • Decision making • Framing, Consensus & Commumnication Saturday 25 October 14
- 29. References • ExperienceReport: Introducing Exploratory Testing • Deliberated Exploration - A Walk in the Woods • Experiences with Semi-Scripted Exploratory Testing • Framing: Some Decision Analysis and Frames in Testing • Silent Evidence in Testing • On Thinking about Heuristic Discovery Saturday 25 October 14
- 30. Thanks! • SimonMorley • Twitter: @YorkyAbroad • Blog: testers-headache.blogspot.com • Questions? • Get in touch! Saturday 25 October 14
- 31. Feature Walkthrough Saturday25 October 14