Talk: Cash to concept: Bringing a legacy system under test

Talk description

Title:	Cash to concept: Bringing a legacy system under test
Short synopsis:	Many organisations don’t know where to start improving quality on their legacy application. So while most examples start from nothing and show how to build up to a high-quality app, this workshop starts with an existing app and show how to get it under control step-by-step. In this workshop we create a functional overview of our application, use Story Mapping to probe and prioritize our functionality, and Example Mapping to generate our tests. Max size: 500 chars
Long synopsis (optional):	Cash to concept. Because when you already have an application that is in the hands of your users, delivering value, it can be quite a challenge to get back in control of quality. So while most examples start from nothing and show how to build up to a high-quality app, in this workshop we start with an existing app and reverse engineer it. We’ll go back to defining the high-level product map and show how to fill in all the unknowns to get a complete overview of functionality, generate some test metrics and write solid functional tests. To know what we test, we need to have a detailed overview of the functionality of our application. Then we can decide where our risks are, and start creating the tests that will get us to safety. In this workshop we create a functional overview of our application, use Story Mapping to probe and prioritize our functionality, and Example Mapping to generate our tests. Then we show how to use the results to get control using first manual testing scripts and how to decide what and how to automate so you can get in that coveted continuous delivery mode. In our practice, we often encounter organisations that have existing applications without any defined, structured testing in place, let alone a strategy for automated testing. Going from that situation to one where we can move towards more frequent releases requires going back towards product definition, gaining a top-down overview, before moving back down into detail to create first a manual regression test and then automate at different levels to get to something that can suitably be called agile testing. This workshop aims to be an extract of the steps we take to gain control in those situations. Since the aim is to not just get to a test strategy, but also to get the POs, testers and developers to learn practices they can use in the continued developing of the product, we stay close to the standard tools for agile requirement and test definition, using BDD as our base. The workshop is run in small teams (~6 people), around each table, building in short cycles where we move direction and execution through the team to keep everyone engaged. Each table works through one story map (a selected user flow/journey of an existing application) and we then let the teams select specific slices through that flow as suitable for manual end-to-end tests, initial outside-in automation tests and then prioritise the more detailed story and business rule based tests that come later. In our full day (and two-day) versions of this workshop, we go into Story Mapping and writing, Example Mapping and Scenario writing to provide more detail to that last category, and we have more iterations for the teams to practice with. In the short workshop at conference length, we create the elements (stories, user flows/story map skeleton, examples and work-flow test examples) and let the participants focus on the things that are specific for the first steps of getting an existing application under test: identifying functionality, prioritising test focus and deciding which thing to test in what ways. The outline for the workshop is as follows, for a 90 minutes version: - Introduction [=15m] - From an existing black box to a documented and tested system - A functional breakdown and heat map - Our Example: Let start with Spotify - Start overview top down (home, search, library; then…) - We select one flow for this short workshop - Multiple flows per feature possible, different users/roles - Reverse engineer a flow to a story map [25m] - What is a Story Map and why? [5m] - Importance of slicing - Strategies to be mentioned: e.g. Impact Mapping - Groups: creating Increments on with prefab User Stories [10m] - Considering risks, test results - Input: prefab User Stories, high level frame/timeline - Groups: Discuss [10m] - Validation [=30m] - Overview or mapping tests [15m] - Outside In -> Activities to User Flow Tests - Manual can be a good start - Obligatory warning about testing pyramids - Into detail (Examples) - Selecting where to go into detail - Groups: Pick the right test for the Increment and its elements [15m] - Input: prefab examples, metrics, tests, experiments - Closing [5m] Max size: 5000 chars
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