F13-704: Automation Squared: Generating and Executing Test Plans

Track: Test Automation

This session introduces an approach for taking test automation to the next level, which is automatically generating test plans. In other words, in addition to automatically executing a test plan, we will present a technique that automatically creates the test plan itself. Does this seem too good to be true? Well it’s not. We have been using this approach with great success for almost a year now. Ironically, the key to our approach is changing how we represent our requirements. For the purpose of explaining our approach and our story, we are going to present an example system, discuss how it would be tested in traditional ways and then discuss, step by step, how various levels of automation can be added such that the “Automation-Squared” approach can be leveraged. Benefits? While an obvious benefit to this approach is saving staging time, a more significant advantage is that our generated plans provide a much greater level of coverage in comparison to manually staged automation. In this session attendees will receive an introduction to Automated Test Execution with FitNesse as well as a brief overview of the OFAT pattern for reducing test case counts in multi-input systems. We will then discuss our method for representing requirements and then discuss how we generate test plans from those requirements.

Session Takeaways:

  • Introduction to example system with a large quantity of input combinations
  • Introduction to automated test execution with FitNesse
  • Introduction to structured requirements
  • Introduction to the topic of test plan generators and how they work from structured requirements.
  • A discussion of potential results from using test plan generators based on experience along with a summary of benefits.
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Session Speakers:

Mike KeithMike Keith – System Test Engineer Lead, Progressive Insurance
Mike Keith has been a developer for over 20 years using a wide variety of computer languages and building various stubbing fixtures and logging utilities to assist the testing effort. Mike also developed and emancipated a testing tool called “eXT” that was used by most of Progressive for automated keyword based script testing. Several years ago Mike took on a new role at Progressive as a System Testing Engineer Lead. In this current role he”s now responsible for Project Testing as well as looking at systems and figuring out which components can benefit from test automation, and then working with developers to make that happen. The Automation Squared approach for Test Plan Generation was developed as part of being in this new role.

Domonic NunleyDomonic Nunley – System Test Engineer, Progressive Insurance
Domonic Nunley has been a tester at Progressive for almost 8 years. He has always been interested in leveraging automation for his testing tasks using a variety of automation tools including QTP and FIT, as well as a number of home grown testing tools. Recently he has accepted a new role at Progressive as an STE (systems testing engineer) and worked with Mike on the Test Plan Generator effort.