Automation through the Back Door

When working on test automation, it seems that even though you have done everything right—good architecture, efficient framework, and good tools—you still don’t make progress. The product Seretta Gamba’s team was to automate had become so successful that anyone with even a little domain knowledge was sent to the field while those left on the automation team didn’t really know the full application. In typical Catch-22 fashion, the regression testing workload prevented testers from supporting the automation team who therefore could not automate what would have effectively reduced the regression test load. Seretta reasoned that since testers used exactly the same information needed to execute manual tests, the most efficient way to “harvest” tests would be to extend the test automation framework to also support manual testing. Learn how Seretta succeeded in giving better support to manual testing while simultaneously collecting the data needed to finally move on with test automation.