Mercury

Business Process Testing

Faster, Easier and Smarter Quality Assurance

SPAN Technologies
www.spantechnologies.com
Agenda

Objective
Need for Automation
Challenges with Traditional Automation
BPT: the Big Picture
BPT Addresses Traditional Automation Challenges
BPT: Other Benefits
Case Studies
Q&A

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Objective
ƒ To promote an understanding of business process
ƒ Testing and its benefits for:
– Users considering Mercury tools for automation
– Existing users of QTP and Quality Center
– Users who recently acquired BPT

Automation
Testers
Experts

LOB
Demographics Directors
Owners

System
Managers
Architects

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Need for Automation
ƒ Rapid execution of test scripts
ƒ Repeatable, reliable, unattended testing
ƒ Extensive enterprise environment and test plan coverage
ƒ Accurate defect replication

Platforms 1 Intel

Windows XP, Windows ME, Win 2000,

Operating Systems
Front End Clients
Business Processes
Data Sets
6 Win NT 4, Win 2003
Internet Explorer 6, Netscape
4
6, Java, Visual C++
Login, Search, Order Entry, Order
5
Confirmation, Order Fulfillment
Combinations of various usernames,
15 passwords, search strings, order
numbers, ship dates

Total Tests to Run 1 X 6 X 4 X 5 X 15 = 1,440

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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 Challenges with Traditional Automation
SMEs and Automation Experts Are Disjointed
Subject Matter Experts Test Automation

Business
Requirements

ƒ Subject Matter Experts design requirements and test cases very early in the life cycle. Test
Automation requires a fairly stable application, which is not available till much later in the life
cycle.
– Duplication of effort in documentation and application expertise
– Lack of collaboration between SMEs and Automation Experts
– Planning for automation does not start till stable application is available

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Challenges with Traditional Automation
Automation
SME
Expert

Tester

Not role-based—too many Lack of standards in

overlaps in duties automation
Project 1 Project 2
QTP Experts QTP Experts

Decentralized—inefficient use High maintenance without

of resources intelligent framework

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Challenges with Traditional Automation
Summary
Lack of collaboration between SMEs and
automation experts

Not role-based—too many overlaps in duties

Decentralized—inefficient use of resources

Lack of standards in automation

High maintenance without an intelligent framework

How does BPT address these challenges?

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: the Big Picture
Mercury Quality Center™
Dashboard

TestDirector
Requirements Defect
Test Plan Test Lab
Management Management

Functional Testing Business Process Testing

QuickTest Professional WinRunner Accelerators for SAP, Oracle, Security

Foundation

Shared Data Repository Central Administration Workflows Open APIs

Delivery Options

Mercury Managed Services Combination In-house Deployment

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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 BPT: the Big Picture
Requirements Development Planning, Automation Run tests Modify
and design and initial automation tests
and test build framework
documentation

Traditional
Automation
Automation QTP
SMEs Developers QTP Experts QTP Experts QTP Experts
Framework Experts

Testers,
QTP SMEs, SMEs,
SMEs QTP
Experts Testers Testers
Experts
Business
Process
Testing
Planning, build Map Modify
components, flows objects Automation Run tests tests

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: the Big Picture
ƒ Additional Quality Center module
ƒ A layer of abstraction between
Requirements and Test Plans
ƒ Structurally, Business Components
are similar to reusable functions and
actions in QTP

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: the Big Picture
SME Creates and Defines Business Components

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: the Big Picture
Creates
Creates and
SME Assembles Defines
DefinesBusiness
Business
and BusinessComponents
Components into Tests
Components

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: the Big Picture
SME Can Reuse Business Components in Multiple Tests

Login Component

Test One Test Four

Test Two Test Three

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: the Big Picture
QTP Experts Build the Automation Assets
ƒ QTP experts work behind the scenes creating the
automation assets for the business components created
by SMEs
– Implement function libraries
– Create object repositories
– Define application areas
– Define recovery scenarios
– Manage all resources in Quality Center
ƒ In this model, QTP experts focus purely on automation,
with minimal knowledge of the application. SMEs/Testers
then assemble and execute the tests and analyze the
results.

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: the Big Picture
Easy Keyword-driven Approach for Automation
ƒ Once the automation assets have been developed by the QTP expert,
automation is just a matter of using the keyword-driven approach to create
test scripts

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Challenges with Traditional Automation
Summary Revisited
Lack of collaboration between SMEs and
automation experts

Not role-based—too many overlaps in duties

Decentralized—inefficient use of resources

Lack of standards in automation

High maintenance without an intelligent framework

How does BPT address these challenges?

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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 BPT Addresses Traditional
Automation Challenges
Enables Collaboration of Business Users,
Technical Automation Engineers
Subject Matter Experts Mercury Business Process Testing Automation Experts

Login PO Invoice
Component Component Component

Business Application
Data
Requirements Keywords

Subject-matter experts Centralized QA automation

build, data-drive, and experts enable business
execute automated tests experts via Mercury
via web Business Process Testing

Collaboration ƒ Reuse of documentation ƒ Early automation

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT Addresses Traditional Automation
Challenges
Role-based Testing—Optimal Use of Resource Time

SME QTP Expert Tester

ƒ Defines business ƒ Builds the object ƒ Runs and analyzes

processes repository test results
ƒ Defines and ƒ Builds user-defined
implements the functions
components ƒ Builds application
ƒ Combines the ready areas
components into ƒ Builds recovery
complete processes scenarios

Clear definition of roles ƒ Optimal use of expertise

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT Addresses Traditional Automation
Challenges
Centralized and Standardized
ƒ Each project has its own SMEs and testers, but shares
centralized automation experts with other projects in the
organization
– Need for fewer specialized automation experts, efficient use of
resources
– Facilitates efficient use of third-party vendors for automation
– Sharing of knowledge and best practices between projects
– Easier to implement automation standards given a central team

Efficient use of resources ƒ Standardized automation

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT Addresses Traditional Automation
Challenges
Built-in Framework Reduces Maintenance
ƒ BPT entails the use of business components as building
blocks for more complex business scenarios. This built-in
framework enforces modularization.
– When the application changes, all test scripts do not need to
change.
– Typically, business components do not change in a logical sense,
only the underlying application and objects
– Maintenance is quick and behind-the-scenes

Enforces modularization ƒ
Reduces maintenance

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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 BPT: Other Benefits
Requirements Development Planning, Automation Run tests Modify
and design and initial automation tests
and test build framework
documentation

Traditional
Automation
Automation QTP
SMEs Developers QTP Experts QTP Experts QTP Experts
Framework Experts

Testers,
QTP SMEs, SMEs,
SMEs QTP
Experts Testers Testers
Experts
Business
Process
Testing
Planning, build Map Modify
components, flows objects Automation Run tests tests

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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BPT: Other Benefits
Business Sign-off
Since the SMEs are involved in the creation of test scenarios, automation will
make intuitive sense to them. This facilitates easier business sign-offs

Auto-Documentation
Single point of entry for documentation combined with the auto-
documenting features of BPT will dramatically reduce the documentation
effort.

Scalability
Since this model is not build around individual contributors, it is highly
scalable. Efficient use of resources and a centralized model contributes to
the scalability as well.

Faster, easier and smarter quality assurance

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Mercury Business Process Testing
The Business-centric Quality Automation Solution

Provides entire QA team with

collaborative solution

Starts quality automation

process sooner

Automates maintenance
and reduces costs

Ensures visibility and verification

with auto-documentation

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Raymond James
Leading US Financial Services Provider

“Mercury Business Process Testing is our standard

for functional testing. It enables our QA and Business
Teams to operate as one, allowing the testing
process to be more efficient and effective. ”
Leanne Stumph, QA Management

Challenge Solution Result

ƒ Business Teams ƒ Mercury Quality ƒ Mercury Business

unable to use
traditional test
automation tools
ƒ QA team unable to
handle volume of
application changes
ƒ Buy vs. build test
automation
framework
Center Process Testing chosen
as a result of buy vs.
ƒ Mercury Business build feasibility study
Process Testing ƒ Team of 14 QA engineers
and Business Analysts
support 200+ Developers
ƒ 50% reduction in
compatibility testing time
ƒ Existing test automation
assets leveraged with
Mercury

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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Avaya
Global Leader in Communications Systems
“Mercury Business Process Testing helps us align our project and
testing teams so that line of business owners can set up the right
business scenarios and tests for our applications. Instead of a long
manual testing process, we now have an agile testing platform that
keeps our applications finely tuned to support our business
objectives and provide better service to our customers.”
Dave Bishop, Sr. Manager, IT Applications

Challenge Solution Result

ƒ Testing activity for ƒ Mercury Quality ƒ Testing activities

billing app manual and Center more aligned with
documented in needs of the
spreadsheets ƒ Mercury Business
Process Testing business
ƒ Text execution manual
for string/functional and ƒ Testing cycles
integration testing shortened
ƒ Defects, daily ƒ Testing and resulting
completion, and stats more accurate
pass/fail stats tracked
manually

Copyright: SPAN Technologies and Mercury 2006.

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