Key Points

• Record play back techniques do not produce well-designed automated tests that can be re-used and grown for continuous automated testing. At best, record & playback will give the ability to play back the same tests for very few test executions. There is no substitution for well-designed tests that have flexibility, robustness, reusability and expandability. However, producing automated tests with these characteristics is time consuming and requires high levels of programming skills.
• A well designed automated test system is developed using software engineering disciplines to support a wide variety of tests that survive a number of changes and evolutions of the system under test. This design practice should be applied and maintained as testing requirements are defined, matured and evolve.
• The test system must also support good practices and efficiencies in test planning, test case preparation, test execution and problem management.
• The way to achieve the foregoing requirements and allow non-programmers to develop and run automated tests is to use an extreme implementation of table driven testing. SIMÆs table driven testing technique and software (tMosaic) satisfies all of the requirements of good automated testing design and practice, but is controlled and used by professional testers that do not possess programming skills.

Presentation Abstract

o The dream for automated testing – what we all want.
o Why record and play back techniques have not satisfied the requirements.
o Test System Design
o Table Driven Testing
o The SIM methodology for Table driven testing = tMosaic
o How this approach makes the dream come true

About the Speaker

Bob is the Chairman of SIM Group Ltd. SIM specialises in Software Testing and has put in place a number of highly efficient testing systems that automatically test sophisticated and mission critical software systems. SIM is the UK leader in providing efficient solutions for software testing. SIMÆs work has had a profound impact on the way companies approach testing and improvements to testing have been realised with SIMÆs help.

SIM has managed the development of testing strategies for software projects and has implemented automated testing techniques for many different software environments.

A summary of BobÆs experience follows:

Over 30 years in software, and using automated testing techniques throughout

Executive Director and Chairman of Software testing specialist company today

Member of the CSSA executive council

Has designed, developed and sold automated testing tools

Manager of major software development and implementation projects

Testing adviser to some of the largest testing projects taking place in U.K.

Training and lecturing in automated testing and software testing techniques

Track record for substantial reductions in time and cost to test

Successfully managed the growth of start up companies throughout his career.