366: Test Automation

Failure Investigation

Investigating test failures requires a systematic approach, starting with the failure message and stack trace. Arnon Axelrod emphasizes the importance of logging and gathering data, such as screenshots and application logs, to pinpoint the exact cause of the failure 1. He suggests that while the process may initially be time-consuming, it becomes more efficient over time as methods are refined.

You should start from the failure message... and gather all the data that you need in order to investigate the failure until you pinpoint the exact reason.

--- Arnon Axelrod

By iteratively improving these strategies, developers can better understand and resolve consistent failures.

   

Flaky Test Management

Managing flaky tests involves increasing the frequency of test failures to make them more reproducible. Arnon Axelrod advises running tests in loops to gather more information, which helps narrow down the problem's scope 2. He warns against ignoring failures by rerunning tests until they pass, as this undermines the purpose of test automation.

We want this failure to occur more often and not less often in order to be able to investigate them.

--- Arnon Axelrod

By focusing on reproducibility, developers can identify and fix root causes, enhancing test reliability and confidence.