QW2002 Tutorial A1 Mr. Douglas Hoffman (Software Quality Methods, LLC.) & Mr. Bret Pettichord Test Automation: A Context-Driven Approach

Key Points

• Analyze your requirements for test automation
• Understand how product architecture affects test automation
• Learn the key elements to test automation architecture
• Learn five approaches for verifying test results
• Realize the limits of regression testing
• Avoid common blind alleys
• Determine whether your organization is ready to automate

Presentation Abstract

Doug Hoffman and Bret Pettichord bring together their extensive experience to provide key information on test automation. Successful testing groups have used a variety of test automation architectures. Pettichord and Hoffman's combined perspectives and insights will help you select and customize an effective architecture for your context.

Most software test automation efforts fail to achieve their goals, some rather spectacularly. Effective software test automation starts with understanding and good planning. This morning tutorial describes how to take a context-driven approach to test automation. Instead of using a generic test automation approach, successful companies tailor their automation architecture to their specific context. Avoid common blind alleys that many test teams have wasted time and energy on. Learn how your staff profile, product architecture and test mission affect your test automation architecture.

About the Author

Douglas Hoffman is an independent consultant with Software Quality Methods, LLC. He has been in the software engineering and quality assurance fields for nearly 30 years and now is a management consultant in strategic and tactical planning for software quality. Throughout his career he has automated testing using a wide variety of hardware and software techniques. His experience includes consulting, teaching, managing, and engineering across the computer systems and software industries. His recent experience has focused on creating and transforming software quality and development groups, and architecting software test automation environments.

Douglas is a founder and past Chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Software Quality Association (SSQA) and the Silicon Valley Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). He has been a presenter and participant at dozens of software quality conferences and has been Program Chairman for several international conferences on software quality. He is a member of the ACM and IEEE and is active in the ASQ as a Senior Member, participating in the Software Division, the Santa Clara Valley Section, and the Software Quality Task Group. He has earned a BA in Computer Science, an MS in Electrical Engineering, an MBA, a Certificate from ASQ in Software Quality Engineering, and has been a registered ISO 9000 Lead Auditor.

Bret Pettichord is an independent consultant with experience using a wide variety of test tools and approaches. He's developed automated tests for software in various domains, including publishing, accounting, sales, systems management, education and benefits administration. The tutorial builds on Lessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context- Driven Approach, the best-selling book he coauthored with Cem Kaner and James Bach. Many of his writings are collected at www.pettichord.com.

Specializing in software testing and test automation, Bret has 14 years experience in software development, including positions as a staff consultant at Segue Software and a test automation lead at BMC and then IBM/Tivoli before becoming an independent consultant. Recent clients have included Texas Instruments, Rational Software, Texas Department of Human Services, Deliotte Consulting, Whisperwire and Netpliance. He learned about software testing as a tax programmer at Arthur Andersen and a software tester and automator at Interleaf.