Abstract
Software testing is an essential yet time consuming and tedious task in the software development cycle despite the accessibility of most capable quality assurance teams andtools. Test automation is widely being utilised within the software industry to provide increased testing capacity to ensure high product quality and reliability. This thesis will specifically be addressing automated testing whereby test cases are manually written and executed automated. Test automation has its benefits, drawbacks, and impacts on different stages of development. Furthermore, there is often a disconnect between non-technical and technical roles, where non-technical roles (e.g., management) predominantly strive to reduce costs and delivery time whereas technical roles are often driven by quality and completeness. Although it is widely understood that there are challenges with adopting and using automated testing, there is a lack of evidence to understand the different attitudes toward automated testing, focusing specifically on why it is not adopted. In this thesis, the author has surveyed practitioners within the software industry from different roles to determine common trends and draw conclusions. A two-stage approach is presented, comprising of a comprehensive descriptive analysis and the use of Principle Component Analysis (PCA). In total, 81 participants were provided with a series of 22 questions and their responses were compared against job role types and experience levels. In summary, 6 key findings are presented covering expertise, time, cost, tools and techniques, utilisation, organisation and capacity.
| Date of Award | 10 Nov 2020 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Simon Parkinson (Main Supervisor) & Gary Allen (Co-Supervisor) |