ISTQB CT-TAE – Certified Tester Test Automation Engineer — Question 15

You are testing a major enhancement to an air traffic control user interface. You have use of a sophisticated pre-production test environment, created specifically for large scale automated regression, performance and security testing. The window for regression testing is limited and must successfully conclude, with no major regressions remaining, before the non-functional testing starts.
You have been using the same version of the TAS for the last few releases, each time completing the automated regression test suite in a single overnight run. However, due to the latest enhancements for the SUT, you believe there is a risk that the test suite may no longer complete overnight and therefore delay performance and security testing.
Which option would be the BEST and MOST cost-efficient approach to mitigate this risk?

Answer options

• A. Create a mirror of the pre-production test environment and split the regression test suite to run in parallel across the environments.
• B. Split the regression test suite into multiple parts, running in the environment across consecutive nights.
• C. Analyse the regression test suite and remove test coverage duplication and redundancy.
• D. Introduce better coding practices for the automation scripts, including coding guidelines, reviews and improved static analysis.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is C because analyzing the regression test suite to remove duplication and redundancy will streamline the tests, potentially allowing them to complete within the overnight timeframe. Options A and B would require additional resources or time, which may not be cost-effective. Option D, while beneficial for script quality, does not directly address the pressing issue of the test suite's execution time.