This document discusses a case study of Clearstream's implementation of a collaborative approach to test automation. Key points include: Clearstream wanted to improve automation rates to meet business goals; a collaborative methodology was developed involving functional testers, technical teams, and tool vendors; Odin's Axe automation platform was selected and implemented on a project to automate testing of Clearstream's Xact web portal; the project achieved a 64.4% automation rate and identified lessons around defect management, naming conventions, and challenges automating new functionality.
2. Realisation of a Collaborative Approach to Test
Automation
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A case study in post-trade
settlement and reconciliation at Clearstream
Duncan Brigginshaw
Co-Founder and Technical Director, Odin
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Agenda
• Introduction
• Background and Business drivers
• Defining a collaborative approach to functional test
automation
• ClearstreamXact Portal and 1CSR Project
• Lessons and Conclusions
Duncan Brigginshaw
Technical Director - Odin
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Introduction
• Deutsche Börse AG
• Diversified exchange organisation with wide range of
products and services
– Listing and Trading, Clearing, Post-Trading, Market-
Data and Services
• International Central Securities depository (ICSD) -
Luxembourg
• Post-Trade Infrastructure and Securities service provider
• Central Securities Depository (CSD) – Frankfurt
• QA Software Vendor
• Providers of the Axe Enterprise Test Automation
Platform
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Background and Business drivers
Duncan Brigginshaw
Technical Director - Odin
• Functional GUI Automation key to achieving business goals
• History:
• Isolated GUI Automation in Business Units
– Primarily HP Products
– Technical in Nature
• Centralised Automation framework developed in-house
– Expensive to build and maintain
– In-Flexible – Proprietary to HP
– Not-Business Oriented
• GUI Automation rates not inline with Business goals
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Stages
Duncan Brigginshaw
Technical Director - Odin
• High Level Vision – Define a Collaborative Automation Methodology
• “Involve Functional Analysts/Testers in Automation”
• Requirements
– Script-less business focussed automation architecture
– Execution Tool Independent (HP + Selenium)
– Future Proof
– Compatible with current HP ALM Infrastructure
• Process
– Initial Research and RFP
– Matrix Scoring on Requirements
– Shortlisted Vendor Proof of Concept
– Vendor Selection
– Rollout Methodology Defined with Vendor Support
– Initial project identified to prove and refine the approach
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HP ALM Central to Test Asset Mgmt.
HP ALM
Business
Units
Technical
Test and
Tools
Functional
Testers
(Offshore)
Functional
Testers
(Nearshore)
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Duncan Brigginshaw
Technical Director - Odin
• Application Build and Delivery
– Daily Updates
– Weekly Delivery
• Testing
– Subset of Tests Run Daily
– Full Regression Pack of Tests run Weekly
– 12hr Execution Across 12 Machines
Application Build and Test Regime
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Lessons and Conclusions
Duncan Brigginshaw
Technical Director - Odin
• Lessons Learned - Refinements:
– Requirement for automated test failure triage process
– Defect management for automation (separate to development)
– Asset naming conventions needed early in the project
– New functionality found more challenging for automation than regression
• Collaboration was key in automation success
• Important to define clear roles and responsibilities
• Leveraging relevant skills and expertise in the appropriate Mix
• Collaborative methodology and selected tooling is proving successful
over manual testing and previous automation