Automation
Our Automation Services help our clients apply best practice and implement tools effectively to achieve the optimum return on their investment and provide real benefit to the projects in which they are implemented.
In our experience, projects succeed when the choice of tools for each area is informed by realistic expectations of their capabilities, thereby ensuring maximum performance. A critical aspect of any deployment of tools is to develop a realistic plan for implementation, establishing a business case that sets some expectations and structure around the project.
One example of this is test automation, where stability of the program code environment is critical to success. Test automation also provides challenges to less experienced test organizations, due to its requirement for a separate development lifecycle to produce a well structured, easily maintainable and reusable script environment. We has many years of experience in tools implementation and test automation. This, combined with our extensive knowledge in building high quality testing harnesses and frameworks, provides you with an expert partner to make your project a success.
Automation Services Summary
Our Automation services are an integrated set of components that provide coverage to organizations that are in the process of selecting tools, through to those who want to implement them strategically and effectively across the business.
The services are aimed at addressing each of the scenarios listed individually below or as a total solution:
Tool Review :
There are a multitude of test automation tools and tool suites available in the market, both commercial and open source. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Some are general user level tools aimed at non-technical users while others are specialist tools which can be used by technical testers and developers. We will help you align tool selection with your specific requirements to ensure that the most appropriate tool or tools are selected for now and in the future.
Proof of Concept :
Our Proof of Concept service validates the tool or tools selected in the Tool Review phase. The large scale rollout of one specific test automation tool, or a suite of automation tools, is not to be undertaken lightly. A selected tool needs to be shown to work with the development technologies and to integrate with the development methodology. Until this task is done there is significant risk that the tools will not deliver the promised return on investment.
Tool Configuration :
All test automation tools have configurable operating parameters. The main reason for configuration is to ensure that the tool works reliably and efficiently with the technologies used to develop software applications. Some of the areas that configuration addresses are; synchronization methods, verification points, object recognition, exception handling, results logging and reporting.
Automation Scripting :
To achieve their maximum capability, all automation tools require some form of automation scripting support. Essential automation scripting can be identified during the configuration phase but it is best implemented after all other configuration changes have been applied as the configuration can affect the actual form that the scripting may take. Scripting support can take the form of actually translating manual testing script into tool script or the development of support function libraries written in the native scripting language of the test tool.
Framework Development :
Despite the flexibility inherent in commercial test automation tools, each has a preferred mode of working; through direct scripting, using a graphical interface or via typical office productivity tools such as spreadsheets. Our Framework Development service provides an enhanced automation script development framework for almost any preferred automation tool. Framework Development requires an extensive understanding of the needs and objectives from the test planning phase and the knowledge and skills of a developer to implement the framework. We have the experience in testing and development to fully address all the issues that a framework should encompass.
Regression Pack Maintenance :
Once test automation is integrated into the development and test cycle, automation of your regression test suite should be considered. Automating your regression testing can deliver huge savings in time and costs but the process must be planned and managed correctly to maximize the benefits. Our Regression Pack Maintenance service can provide you with the optimum solution.