What Everyone on the Team Needs to Know about Test Automation
Test automation should be an activity that involves the entire project team—not just the testing group. Test automation is a technical testing task, and the test team benefits from the assistance of others in the organization. Jim Trentadue outlines the various testing activities with the corresponding contributions and benefits of each team member. Project managers can coordinate the effort and schedule. Business analysts can manage technical test requirements. User acceptance testers can provide proper steps and screenshots for IT personnel. Developers can write code with testability in mind. Database administrators can manage the data used in the tests and check for database effects and impacts. Jim reviews automated testing nuances and what to account for, discussing the differences between a manual and automated testing setup. With the contributions of all, the benefits of test automation will be shared by the entire project team—not just the testers.
Jim Trentadue has more than sixteen years of experience as a coordinator/manager in the software testing field. In his various career roles in testing, Jim has focused on test execution, automation, management, environment management, standards deployment, and test tool implementation. In the area of offshore testing, Jim has worked with multiple large firms to develop and coordinate cohesive relationships. As a guest speaker at the University of South Florida’s software testing class, Jim mentors students on the testing industry and trends for establishing future job searches and continued training.