Automation Anti-Patterns: Deal with Them
Automation is vital to modern testing. But if you listen to what testers complain about, problems with test automation is a recurring theme. We complain about how hard it is to add, run, or change tests. We grumble about how difficult it is to keep up with developers who keep breaking tests and bemoan the number of bugs missed by our automation. Dave Westerveld digs into some of these frustrations and shares real-life examples of automation anti-patterns. These include test bloat and some of the reasons for it, or what happens if we don't leverage automation in the right places. Dave describes “green” tests that never fail, “red” tests that cry wolf, those tests that you love, and the ones you are afraid of. Dave shares proven solutions for correcting these issues. Learn how to recognize automation anti-patterns and leave with the solutions you need to bring your tests back from the dead and make them useful again.
Dave Westerveld is a senior test analyst at Ansys, Inc., where he has been involved in testing many different projects—from well-established products to the early stages of major new initiatives. His testing roles have included being a bug hunter, helping build out an automation framework, and mentoring other testers. Dave has been involved in traditional automation initiatives and has also helped to drive up product quality through the creative use of automation tools. With a desire to see teams efficiently produce high-value software, Dave is enthusiastic about understanding the way in which automation tools can be used to achieve this goal. He blogs and can be found on Twitter @offbeattesting.