Provide a more streamlined automated application testing service to increase user adoption and improve application quality across the organization.
The internal application testing team serves four different business divisions. Within these groups, there are approximately 13 customers actively leveraging the application testing team. The project lead of the Test Automation team comments: “When we first introduced test automation a few years ago, one of the challenges we had was adoption within the organization. To reduce test script development costs and time, we encouraged customers to reuse test scripts, but not many of them were actively doing this. It was more a cultural shift and we realized that customer communication would be key to long-term success for our team.”
With only one test automation solution, the team was limited in what it could offer its customers, and it was felt that a comprehensive test automation framework would enable them to establish a more mature process and offer ‘automation-as-a-service’.
This large aeronautic manufacturer covers global aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies company with worldwide interests. It employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide.
Building on its test automation basis with UFT One, the customer wanted to take advantage of the built-in integration with other solutions in the Micro Focus test automation suite of products. UFT One offers keyword-driven testing that simplifies test creation and maintenance, and the team recognized that this could be leveraged much more effectively. Test Automation engineers have access to an integrated scripting and debugging environment that is synchronized with the keyword view and includes time savers such as auto-completion of code, and customized and built-in code snippets.
Starting from a base of only approximately 100 keyword-driven test scripts, the team soon increased this to over 300. The Test Automation project lead explains how this benefits the customers:
TEST AUTOMATION PROJECT LEAD
Large Aeronautic Manufacturer
Micro Focus ALM/Quality Center is used to manage test procedures and script execution. Batch test scripts run on the backend, and task scheduler is used to execute test scripts automatically.
The organization has adopted a DevOps approach in its test automation efforts, with the team refining the model with best practice test automation processes, including Micro Focus solutions and relevant Open Source tools.
Customers use the test automation team for many different reasons; some for regression testing, others for data-driven and backend testing.
The team is evaluating an expansion of the Micro Focus automated testing environment. Micro Focus UFT Developer is designed to support a DevOps approach. Built specifically for continuous testing and integration, it potentially reduces test cycle times.
Enhanced test metrics have convinced customers to leverage the testing framework. The team can clearly forecast cost savings, and has the data available to validate estimates for further accuracy.
Internal customers are enjoying the benefits of this more structured testing approach, as illustrated as follows: “Our customers often need to apply a surprise patch release or a security update, triggering a full regression test against the entire suite of test scripts. It is such a time saver that, with the Micro Focus automated testing framework, these tests are automatically executed in the background, while the customer gets on with their scheduled activities.”
TEST AUTOMATION PROJECT LEAD
Large Aeronautic Manufacturer
In conclusion: “Our success shows in the customers returning for more testing services, reusing our test scripts, and our improved customer relations overall. Micro Focus has been with us every step of the way, helping us add real value to the organization.”
