The Pathologies of Failed Test Automation Projects
Many test automation projects start with a lot of promise but fast become a mess. Initial solutions that start well and are full of promise often end up as brittle and unmaintainable monsters consuming more effort than they save. Political feuds flourish as different automation solutions compete for attention and dominance. Tests become inefficient in both execution time and resource usage. Disillusionment ensues, projects are redefined, and the cycle begins again.
This eBook analyses five failure patterns that contribute to test automation project failures. Recognising a failure patterns in your project is an alert signal that the project is heading in the wrong direction. After describing the patterns, actions are proposed to avoid or mitigate the impact of the failure patterns.
Even successful automation projects suffer from some aspects of these patterns. You may be able to apply some of the remedies to improve existing, successful projects.
Key takeaways
- Test automation projects are prone to suffer from known failure patterns
- Become aware of five common failure patterns
- Learn how to mitigate or completely avoid the failure patterns
Michael Stahl (Intel, Israel)
Michael is a SW Validation Architect at Intel. In the last 17 years Michael tested code for cable-modems, Smart TVs, graphics cards and is lately testing the code behind Intel’s RealSense 3D camera technology.
In this role, he defines testing strategies and work methodologies for test teams, and sometimes even gets to test something himself – which he enjoys most.
Michael presented papers in SIGiST Israel, STARWest, STAREast, EuroSTAR and other international conferences. Michael is teaching SW Testing in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
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