Business Analysis for Test Automation


in progress

Automation projects are for everyone, not just programmers. The business analysis portion of test automation can involve tasks like translating specifications into scenarios with Gherkin, using intelligent recording and playback tools, and deciding when to use AI-based codeless tests (like Applitools and Sikuli). Priming automation projects by validating requirements, auditing or creating manual tests, grooming test cases for clarity and completeness, translating manual tests to Gherkin, and keeping track of Gherkin so that the business can use them to drive value is a critical contribution that can strongly impact customer success.

As an analyst for software and data test automation projects, your job is to make sure that the test automation engineers have all the information they need before they start coding. That means you need to understand, at least at a high level, the process that they go through when they are building automated tests.

  • Why Automate - Understand the pros and cons of automation and why an organization might want to automate tests
  • The Pyramid - Understand the ideal test automation pyramid and the holistic period (an Ultranauts creation)
  • Manual to Automated - Explain steps to convert manual scripts into automated scripts
  • Roles - Articulate roles in a test automation project and how manual testers can develop business analyst skills to apply in test automation
  • Tools - Describe tools used for automated tests

Three Amigos

The Three Amigos, also referred to as a "Specification Workshop", is a meeting where the Product Owner discusses the requirement in the form of Specification by Example with different stakeholders like the QA and development team. The key goal for this discussion is to trigger conversation and identify any missing specifications. The discussion also gives a platform for QA, development team and Product owner to converge and hear out each other's perspective to enrich the requirement and also make sure if they are building the right product.

The three Amigos are
  • Business - Role of the Business user is to define the problem only (and not venture into suggesting any solution)
  • Development - Role of the Developers involve to suggest ways to fix the problem
  • Testing - Role of testers is to question the solution, bring up as many as different possibilities for brain storming through What-If scenarios and help make the solution more precise to fix the problem.

-- NicoleRadziwill - 06 Jun 2020
Topic revision: r6 - 21 Aug 2020, SelenaHunter
© 2020 Ultranauts - 75 Broad Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 206, New York, NY 10004 - info@ultranauts.co