SCRIPT CREEP
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.................................................................................................................Main Page / Back to Process Issues / Back to Test Automation Issues
Issue Summary
There are too many scripts and it is not clear if they are still in use or not.
Category
Process
Examples
- It takes so much time to check if a script is already available that testers or automators would rather write a new one instead. This means that there are a lot of very similar scripts.
- Nobody "refactors" the scripts so that after a time some fail consistently and are not executed any longer.
- It isn't possible to check which scripts are actually in use.
Questions
How are scripts documented?
Are there standards regarding naming and documentation?
Who writes the scripts? Who uses them?
Is anyone charged with reviewing the relevance and usefulness of the scripts at regular intervals?
Resolving Patterns
Most recommended:
- GOOD PROGRAMMING PRACTICES
- MAINTAINABLE TESTWARE
- MAINTAIN THE TESTWARE
- MANAGEMENT SUPPORT: You will need this pattern to be able to change the current bad behaviour
- REFACTOR THE TESTWARE
You should already be applying these patterns. If not, do it!
Other useful Patterns:
- GOOD DEVELOPMENT PROCESS: apply this pattern if you don't have a process for developing test automation. Apply it also if your process lives only on paper (nobody cares)
- LEARN FROM MISTAKES: apply this pattern to turn mistakes into useful experiences
- KILL THE ZOMBIES: Apply this pattern for a start
- DOCUMENT THE TESTWARE: you should be already applying this pattern. Retrofixing documentation is quite an effort. Do it in the future for all new projects and everytime you have to update something old
- KEEP IT SIMPLE: Always apply this pattern!
- SET STANDARDS: apply this pattern so that team members “speak the same language” and hence can efficiently share their work
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