STARWEST 2012 Keynote: Leverage Your Test Automation ROI with Creative Solutions

Typical automated tests perform repetitive tasks quickly and accurately to lighten the burden of manual testing. These tests mimic typical interactions with the system, checking for pre-determined outcomes. However, with some creativity and a sound strategy, you can leverage automation to dramatically increase its return on investment and long-term value. Doug Hoffman demonstrates how you can employ test automation for many more interesting testing activities—ones that are impossible with manual testing. Doug shares examples of automated tests that he has used to magnify the power of exploratory test techniques. These exploratory tests discover new defects—ones that most test designers would never have considered. Doug describes the kind of automated tests that can expose unexpected defects—such as memory leaks—that traditional automated tests ignore. Instead of focusing your automation efforts solely on repetitive, regression tests that expose the majority of software defects when the tests are initially created, find out how you can invest in automation that pays off big time day in and day out.