Automated Acceptance Testing with StoryTestIQ

Paul Dupuy, Jr. (SolutionsIQ), Mickey Phoenix (SolutionsIQ), Monica Yap (Wireless Data Services Global), David Koontz (SolutionsIQ), Lance B. Young (SolutionsIQ)

Hands On · Testing

Wednesday, 08:30, 3 hours 30 minutes | Meeting Room 15

Topic

Automated acceptance tests for web applications can be implemented using popular frameworks like Fit, FitNesse, and Selenium. However, each of these has practical limitations that are a consequence of their architecture and the way they interact with the application under test. SolutionsIQ has developed a hybrid of these three frameworks called StoryTestIQ that facilitates their use, offers new derivative features, and frees test authors from constraints imposed when they are used independently.

This hands-on session will teach participants about Automated Acceptance Testing, teach them how to use the open source StoryTestIQ framework, and prepare them to use automated acceptance testing on their own projects.

Audience

The StoryTestIQ tutorial is designed to teach those with no acceptance test experience as well as those who use Fit, FitNesse, Selenium, and similar frameworks. Acceptance tests are written by people who play the role of Product Owner, Tester, and Developer; this tutorial addresses the educational needs of each role independently and in conjunction with the others. While StoryTestIQ is used for web application acceptance tests, those who work with other types of applications will find the concepts and general techniques applicable to their contexts as well.

Benefits

Participants will gain practical experience writing acceptance tests using StoryTestIQ, which will help them implement automated acceptance tests in their own projects following common Agile patterns.

The Automated Acceptance Tests pattern is one of the most effective and important in the Agile software development corpus. It supports User Stories by providing the explicit concreteness that implied requirements lack but developers need. It helps the team Engage Customers and Engage Quality Assurance through the collaborative effort (Pairing) required to write high quality acceptance tests. It keeps the team anchored and focused so they Never Add Functionality Early and the Application Design Is Bounded By Test Design. It furnishes system tests that afford maximum confidence in efforts to Integrate Continuously and Refactor Mercilessly. It supplies metrics needed to Radiate Information about the status of application development and provides Executable Requirements.

Content

1. What are Automated Acceptance Tests?

An introductory example of a simple automated acceptance test.

2. Why do we need Automated Acceptance Tests?

The Agile context and an explanation of the supporting role this pattern plays.

3. What can you do with Fit, FitNesse, and Selenium?

Brief overview of each framework with emphasis on their strengths and weaknesses.

4. What is StoryTestIQ?

The nature of the hybrid with a high-level explanation of the implementation.

5. What can you do with StoryTestIQ?

A quick demo of StoryTestIQ features including an example of standard FitNesse test use in the framework with a custom Fit fixture.

6. How do you use StoryTestIQ for Automated Acceptance Testing?

Hands-on exercises facilitated by the presenter's example with the assistance of coaches. The majority of our time will be spent here.

7. How can you use StoryTestIQ on your project?

Closing summary of StoryTestIQ, interactive Retrospective, and pointers to the StoryTestIQ repository.

Process

Slide Presentation & Demo: 30 minutes

The presenter educates the participants using a projected PowerPoint presentation and software demonstrations that comprise content items 1 through 5 as described above.

Hands-on Exercises: 140 minutes (scaleable)

The presenter leads the participants through hands-on exercises by projected example and discussion. Coaches with StoryTestIQ experience will assist participants as needed by Pairing with them.

We prefer to have enough workstations in the room to allow all participants to work continuously during this period in pairs. Alternatively, the presenter and coaches will have laptops and we will reduce the number of exercises as appropriate so that as many participants as possible are able to work through at least one exercise.

Conclusion: 10 minutes

The presenter summarizes and concludes the tutorial with an interactive Retrospective.

Presenter

Paul Dupuy, Jr.

Paul leads the Internal Consulting & Review department and plays the roles of Agile Coach, Lead Developer, ScrumMaster, and Architect at SolutionsIQ in Seattle. He began developing software professionally in 1984 and made a career of it 11 years ago. Paul has developed and extended applications that span the range from web application to client-server to shrinkwrap software using Microsoft, Java, Python, and web client technologies. He has ~5 years of Agile experience and is in hot pursuit of a generalized Agile Pattern Language. Paul created StoryTestIQ and continues to improve it in collaboration with a SolutionsIQ team and the Open Source community.

Coaches

Lance B. Young

Lance has 15 years of software development experience in a wide range of projects using traditional and Agile methodologies. He began using pure Agile development practices in 1999 and has been using Scrum, XP, and combinations of Agile methodologies exclusively since then. Lance is currently a consultant at SolutionsIQ in Seattle working on outsourced custom developed business applications as a Development Lead and Enterprise Architect. Lance is a regular presenter at free seminars (the latest cosponsored by Rally Software) and volunteer technical and process groups including the Seattle XP user group, Seattle Java user group and the Seattle chapter of the International Association of Software Architects. Lance’s current focus areas are bringing business concerns into the Agile process and selling the business value of Agile practices to traditional waterfall companies.

Monica Yap

Monica Yap is the Extreme Programming Coach and Head of Group Development for WDSGlobal.  Monica has designed and developed software for the past 15 years on a wide variety of projects from on-line eCommerce sites to property tax management systems.  She has over six years of experience with agile processes.  In particular Monica has focused on building Agile teams and merging business with Agile process.  She has presented at Agile2005, local XP groups, and taught classes in Agile processes.

Chris Sterling

Chris Sterling has worked in the technology industry over the past 10 years and is currently employed at SolutionsIQ in Seattle. He has worked extensively on designing network and enterprise integration projects for technology startups, corporations, and government agencies. The experiences gained from these projects have included enterprise architecture refactoring and design, service-oriented architecture design, research and development prototyping, and enterprise application integration. Along with these technical skills, he has also provided mentoring, lead multiple development teams, presented successful technology strategies with open source and commercial solutions, and managed development projects using both RUP and Agile with Scrum process methodologies.

Mickey Phoenix

Owner, project manager, and lead designer of software consulting firm from 1997 to 2002. Pair programming since 1999, full Agile projects since 2004, Certified Scrum Master, multiple successful Agile projects as Senior Software Developer.

History

StoryTestIQ hands-on AAT training sessions have been given at SolutionsIQ on an ongoing basis since the framework was first created mid-2005. We are using StoryTestIQ on many projects (8 at this writing) and all new projects are provisioned with the framework and training sessions when they begin. SolutionsIQ has released StoryTestIQ to the Open Source community (see http://storytestiq.sourceforge.net ).

Paul manages the Internal Consulting & Review department and plays the roles of Agile Coach, Lead Developer, ScrumMaster, and Architect at SolutionsIQ in Seattle. He began developing software professionally in 1984 and made a career of it 11 years ago. Paul has developed and extended applications that span the range from web application to client-server to shrinkwrap software using Microsoft, Java, Python, and web client technologies. He has 5 years of Agile experience and is in hot pursuit of a generalized Agile Pattern Language. Paul created StoryTestIQ and continues to improve it in collaboration with a SolutionsIQ team and the Open Source community.

Monica Yap is the Global Development Operations Consultant for WDS Global, focus on aligning the distributed global development teams with common Agile practices. Monica has over 7 years of experience leading Agile teams providing quality products through the use of continuous refactoring, unit testing, pair programming, small releases, and an evolving architecture.

David is a software engineer, with 20+ years developing software solutions within a variety of industries. I have experienced the power of the Agile philosophy to unleash a team's full potential. I enjoy mentoring teams and individuals to help them understand how empowering the team with self-organization and self-direction can provide the motivations to move the team along the productivity curve toward ultra performance.