Process Patterns

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Process patterns show how the test automation process should be set up or how it can be improved. The table below gives a list of the Process patterns with a short description. The Process Patterns Mind Map shows which other patterns are used by the process patterns.


Pattern
Description
ASK FOR HELP
Ask for help instead of wasting time trying to do everything yourself.
AUTOMATE WHAT'S NEEDED
Automate what the developers or the testers need, even if it isn't tests!
CELEBRATE SUCCESS
When you have reached an important milestone, it’s celebration time.
CHECK-TO-LEARN
Let new team members learn by checking the health of the existing automation testware
DOCUMENT THE TESTWARE
Document the automation scripts and the test data
FULL TIME JOB
Arrange for the test automation team to be available full time.
GOOD DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Use good development practices for test code; the same as developers (should) use for production code.
GOOD PROGRAMMING PRACTICES
Use the same good programming practices as in software development.
KILL THE ZOMBIES
Regularly delete or archive test cases, scripts or test data that are not used. Make sure that tests are actually testing something.
LAZY AUTOMATOR
Lazy people are the best automation engineers.
LEARN FROM MISTAKES
Use mistakes to learn to do better next time.
LOOK AHEAD
Keep in touch with the tester, automation and development community in order to stay informed about new tools, methods, patterns etc.
LOOK FOR TROUBLE
Keep an eye on possible problems in order to solve them before they become unmanageable
MAINTAIN THE TESTWARE
Maintain test automation scripts and test data regularly and from the very beginning.
PAIR UP
Let less experienced team members pair up with more experienced team members.
REFACTOR THE TESTWARE
Refactor your testware regularly
SET STANDARDS
Set and follow standards for the automation artefacts.
SHARE INFORMATION
Ask for and give information to managers, developers, other testers and customers.
SHORT ITERATIONS
Develop test automation in short iterations.
TAKE SMALL STEPS
Look for small increments of the work that will give you value.
TEST THE TESTS
Test the scripts just as you would test production code.
WHOLE TEAM APPROACH [1]
Testers, coders and other roles work together on one team to develop test automation along with production code.


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[1] Suggested by Lisa Crispin