Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Lessons Learned in Test Automation Through Sudoku

For many years, I have recommended Sudoku as a mind training game for testers. I think Sudoku requires some of the same thinking skills that testers need, such as the ability to eliminate invalid possibilities, deduce correct answers and so forth.

Much like an application that may lack documentation, Sudoku only gives you a partial solution and you have to fill in the rest. Unlike software, however, guessing actually prevents you from solving the puzzle - mainly because you don't see the impact of an incorrect guess until it is too late to change it.

My friend, Frank Rowland, developed an Excel spreadsheet some time ago, that he used to help solve Sudoku puzzles by adding macros to identify cells that had only one possible correct value. At the time, I thought that was pretty cool. Of course, you still had to enter one value at a time manually. But I thought it was a good example of using a degree of automation to solve a problem.

Fast forward to last week. I was having lunch with Frank and he whips out his notebook PC and shows me the newest version of the spreadsheet. After listening to a math lecture from The Great Courses, he learned some new approaches for solving Sudoku.

Armed with this new information, Frank was successful in practically automating the solution of a Sudoku puzzle. I say "practically" because at times, some human intervention is required.

Now, I think the spreadsheet is very cool and I think that the approach used to solve the puzzle can also be applied to test automation. The twist is that the automation is not pre-determined as far as the numeric values are concerned. The numbers are derived totally dynamically.

Contrast this with traditional test automation. In the traditional approach to test automation (even keyword-driven), you would be able to place numbers in the cells, but only in a repeatable way - not a dynamic way.

In Franks's approach, the actions are determined based on the previous actions and outcomes. For example, when a block of nine cells are filled, that drives the possible values in related cells. The macros in this case know how to deduce the other possibilities and also can eliminate the invalid possibilities. In this case of "Man vs. Machine", the machine wins big time.

I don't have all the answers and I know that work has been done by others to create this type of dynamic test automation. I just want to present the example and would love to hear your experiences in similar efforts.

I think the traditional view of test automation is limited and fragile. It has helped in establishing repeatable tests for some applications, but the problem is that most applications are too dynamic. This causes the automation to fail. At that point, people often get frustrated and give up.

I've been working with test automation since 1989, so I have seen a lot of ideas come down the pike. I really like the possibilities of test automation with AI.

I hope to get a video posted soon to show more about how this works. Once again, I would also love to hear your feedback.  


Friday, July 01, 2016

ASTQB Mobile Tester Certification - Live Virtual Classes in August and September, 2016

According to a very recent survey published by Techwell, only 25% of respondents felt they had the knowledge/skills and tools needed for testing mobile applications!

That needs to change and I have just the way to do it.

I am launching a new schedule of live virtual training courses for this new certification from the ASTQB, starting August 9 – 11. 

I have been holding off offering this course as a live virtual course until I was 100% positive you would feel fully engaged while taking the course. I have developed a technique that I feel will keep you engaged in the material and prepare you for the exam. (By the way, the exam is not included in the cost of this course but you can add the $150 exam to your registration.)

Also, let me encourage you to keep building new skills in testing. Mobile testing is a great specialty area and it is also a great skill set to have in your career. The time to learn mobile testing is NOW. Don't wait until your employer is looking to build that special team...or (and I hope this never happens in bad way, but...) if you are looking for employment.

I will be the instructor for all presentations of this course. I am a co-author of the ASTQB Mobile Tester syllabus and author of this course. This course is fully accredited by the ASTQB. And...I have been teaching mobile testing since 2001!  You get personal access to me throughout the course and after the course to ask any questions.

This course covers all aspects of mobile testing. More about the live virtual classes can be found here:

and the course brochure is here:

In the most recent ASTQB newsletter that was published on Tuesday, I have an offer of 15% off any ASTQB Mobile Testing course – live or e-learning. Just use promo code “MOBILE15” when paying for your registration. This offer is only good through August 15. For more details on this course or to register, please visit http://www.riceconsulting.com/home/index.php/Mobile-Testing/astqb-certified-mobile-tester-live-virtual-course.html

If you want to learn more about the ASTQB Mobile Tester certification, just go to:

I hope to see you there!

Randy