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2. Chair, ISTQB Expert Level Test Automation Working Group
ASTQB Webinar Series
ISTQB and Test Automation How ISTQB Certification Prepares you for Automated Testing
Presented by
ANDREW L POLLNER
Vice President, ASTQB
Chair, ISTQB Expert Level Test Automation Working Group 2

3. Introduction
ISTQB and ASTQB Importance of Automation in Testing Automation Topics in ISTQB Syllabi Business Outcomes Expert Level Syllabi

4. WORLD-WIDE COVERAGE ASTQB Countries covered by Member Boards
Countries covered by Exam Providers

5. Goals for Automation in Testing
Fast execution of tests
Repeatable process
Increased functional coverage
Lots of variations and permutations
Automatic reporting of errors
Low maintenance requirements
Make test team more productive
Stay on time and on budget

6. Body of Knowledge (BOK)
What Documents Cover Automation?
Foundation Level
Advanced Level Test Analyst
Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst
Advanced Level Test Manager
Expert Level
Glossary

7. Foundation Level Chapter 6 – Tool Support for Testing:
Types of Test Tools
Effective use of Tools
Introducing a Tool into an Organization

8. Advanced Level Test Analyst
Chapter 7 – Test Tools:
Test Data Preparation Tools
Automated Test Execution Tools
Test Automation Implementation
Improving the Success of the Automation Effort
Keyword-Driven Automation
Causes for Failures of the Automation Effort

9. Advanced Level Technical Test Analyst
Chapter 6 – Test Tools and Automation:
Integration and Information Interchange Between Tools
Defining the Test Automation Project
Selecting the Automation Approach
Modeling Business Processes for Automation
Specific Test Tools
Tools for Web-Based Testing

10. Advanced Level Test Manager
Chapter 6 – Test Tools and Automation:
Tool Selection
Selection Process
Return on Investment (ROI)
Tool Lifecycle
Tool Metrics

11. Expert Level Test Automation
Two Modules:
Test Automation Engineering
Test Automation Management

12. Business Outcomes – TAE
Contribute to the development of a plan to integrate automated testing within the testing process
Evaluate tools and technology for automation best fit to each project and organization
Create an approach and methodology for building a test automation architecture
Design and develop new or modified test automation solutions that meet the business needs
Create automated test reporting and metrics collection
Manage and optimize testing assets to facilitate maintainability and address evolving test systems

13. Business Outcomes – TAM
Develop a test automation policy and strategy appropriate for the organization
Create a business case which outlines the costs and benefits to be expected from introducing and sustaining test automation
Develop a plan to integrate automated testing within the testing process
Oversee the evaluation of tools and technology for automation best fit to each project and organization
Manage the test automation resources to implement and sustain an effective test automation program
Define and gather metrics to effectively report progress of the test automation program
Apply findings to improve the test automation process

14. Test Automation Engineering (TAE)
In Scope
Out of Scope
Tasks performed by a test automation engineer
Designing, developing and maintaining concrete test automation solutions
Concepts, methods, tools, and processes
Automating dynamic functional tests
Test Management
Automation of non-functional tests
Teaching of software engineering methods and programming
Teaching of software technologies
Selection of software testing products and services

15. Topics in TAE Introduction and Objectives for Test Automation
Preparing for Test Automation
The Generic Test Automation Architecture
Deployment Risks and Contingencies
Test Automation Reporting Metrics
Transitioning Manual Testing to an Automated Environment
Verifying the TAS
Continuous Improvement

16. SDLC processes for SUT and TAS

17. K LEVELS: Syllabus & Exam
Questions are classified according to the cognitive level, the K- level (also known as level of knowledge):
K1 – Remember (recognize a term or concept)
K2 – Understand (able to explain a concept)
K3 – Apply (select correct application of concept or technique)
K4 – Analyze (can distinguish between facts and inferences for deeper understanding)
K5 – Evaluate (can make judgments based on criteria and standards)
K6 – Create (can put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole)
The number of questions for each topic is related to the length of the topic in the syllabus

18. Learning Objectives (Chap 1-2)
1.1 Purpose of Test Automation ELTA-E (K2) Explain the objectives, advantages and limitations of test automation 2.1 Test Automation Requirements for the SUT and its Context ELTA-E (K4) Analyze a system under test to determine the optimal automation solution

19. Learning Objectives (Chap 3-4)
3.2 TAA Design ELTA-E (K4) Design the appropriate TAA for a given project 3.3 TAS Development ELTA-E (K6) Construct a purpose-built TAA based on the generic TAA (gTAA) using predefined components 4.3 Technical Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies ELTA-E (K6) Devise mitigation strategies to address technical risks, including framework approach, that could lead to failure of the test automation project

20. Generic Test Automation Architecture

21. Learning Objectives (Chap 5-6)
5.3 Logging of the TAS and the SUT ELTA-E (K4) Implement logging of test executions and test results (of both TAA and SUT data) 6.1 Criteria for Automation ELTA-E (K4) Analyze factors relevant to determining the appropriate criteria for suitability of tests for automation

22. Learning Objectives (Chap 7-8)
7.1 Verifying Automated Test Environment Components ELTA-E (K3) Apply validity checks to the automated test environment and test tool setup 8.2 Planning the Implementation of Test Automation Improvement ELTA-E (K4) Analyze the test environment components, including tools, in order to understand where consolidation and updates need to be made following a given set of test environment changes

23. Test Automation Management
Tentative Topics:
Test Automation Policy
Test Automation Strategy
Managing Test Automation
Test Automation Resources

24. ISTQB LEVELS AND SYLLABI

25. Syllabus in Progress
Syllabus Released
Exam in Progress
Certification Prerequisite

26. ISTQB CERTIFICATES ISSUED

27. Conclusion
Test Automation is more similar to software development than to testing
ISTQB syllabi provide a wealth of information on Test Automation topics and a forthcoming certification exam
Certification criteria:
7 Years of practical testing experience
Foundation Level Certification
Advanced Level TTA Certification (for TAE)

28. Questions?