Can you make agile work in testing without use of Automation?

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Craig Baillie's picture

We have a complex audio product with both bespoke hardware and Java / C++ software. A new interface using a customised Android build is being developed. Testing requires both visual and auditory confirmation.

We are keen to use agile methodologies, particularly in the development of a new UI, where the developers currently use SCRUM in 2 week sprints.

In the test department, a full product regression can take 12 man weeks. This is a very long time. I am keen to find ways to reduce this, to be more agile in our testing, but all the documentation I read requires use of automation.

The route to test Automation is significantly hindered by the use of customised builds that don't work with off the shelf packages, a requirement to verify audio when testing and interaction with bespoke hardware.

Does anyone have suggestions as to what automation systems might pay any benefit with Android, or how we can still be agile in our test methoids, even though the testing is manual?

Tags: 
test automation
test execution
test management
test methodologies
test techniques
testability
testing

1 Answer

Paul Ambro's picture

Well, you could have an army of testers but to make that cost-affordable it would have to be outsourced. You could also spend time prioritizing tests based on risk to fine-tune how much you test each iteration. Another option is to ensure that your Dev team is creating a good suite of unit tests that are run each build.

Also, having your Dev team help on regression testing can reduce your time to release as well as foster a team mentality of getting it done-done. It might also motivate them to write their own automation!

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