In this test management webinar recording we look at how to schedule automated tests to run daily during the QA cycle. Automating the execution of your testing and tracking those results in conjunction with your manual test efforts is key to maximising your resources. Integrating this process into an automated build process brings even more benefits with initiation of the automation coming from the completion of the build. With effective reporting and dashboards you can push back on development teams that deliver poorly unit tested builds to your QA team. Taking this approach is a good way to free up your team to concentrate on what is really important; usually the testing of new features not undertaking the unit testing on behalf of the development team.
To run a full regression set on an automated schedule, you should organise your various test by function within TestComplete. Then using the batch job or scheduled tasks in Software Planner you kick off your automation unaided. With Software Planner and TestComplete integrated, the results of these schedules will automatically be recorded by Software Planner. With the capability to automatically send Pdf reports via email you can even send the automation run results directly to the development team. In this way you can reduce some of the more repetitive tasks your team usually get sucked into and push back that work to the development team.
Key to improving the quality of your testing is the development of well written test steps. Make sure you have defined the tests and expected results in Software Planner. After analysing and recording the results, you can automatically generate the defect, and prioritise them for resolution. You can also send an email notification of these results and a link of the defect to your developer, if you so wish. Again this helps to streamline the test process and reduce the usual administrative tasks your team have to contend with.
One simple tip for effectively recording failures is to manually capture a video of the on-screen test using Jing (available for free at http://www.jingproject.com). With Jing you can set the part of the screen you wish to record, record the action, upload it to the web, and copy the link to Software Planner. Again this is another time saver for your team as you reduce the amount of time you spend typing up defect records.
From here you are able to view the results of your execution runs in various dashboards. You can view progress trends and failure trends. The ability to compare the results of your manual and automated test cases is also a useful feature of the dashboards.
Combining Software Planner and TestComplete gives you the capability to track progress of the whole process. You can complete a wide variety of tests automatically and quickly analyse releases delivered to the team for regression issues. Just a few of these simple steps can make significant improvements in your teams efficiency and save valuable amounts time. All in all small improvements, supported by the right test management tools, can deliver significant improvements to the effectiveness of your team.
