Overview and current challenge in existing testing

Test automation paradigm always keeps "evolving." Organizations have witnessed and been part of this evolution over the years. Test teams are part of the "Been there, done that" club when it comes to conventional test automation techniques. Some of us are literally sitting on the heap of automated test scripts, feeling jittery, unsure whether the project team has adequate test coverage. Automation engineers have always automated the test cases and updated the scripts for changes in test cases, created new test cases, and removed test scripts that are no longer valid. Teams strive to maintain different test case and test script versions; the list is unending.

People struggle to identify and schedule the tests to be executed and address the exponential rise in demand for testing against various environments. Then there is a group that always says, "It's automated… Why not run everything!"

Today the challenges test managers face are not new but are becoming critical with the speed at which things are changing. The response time is getting squeezed like never, and everyone is struggling to bring innovation, AI into test automation.

Automation Strategy Shift

Over the years, traditional test automation approaches have given benefits, but with the huge upfront cost depending on multiple factors like infrastructure, tools, technologies, skill sets. We are witnessing a shift from conventional test automation methods that use test cases/stories as a base for creating test automation to a "Model" based testing approach.

Even though the transition is not difficult, there is a greater need to change the mindset and gain a higher comfort level with model-based test automation. Test managers who are used to maintaining vast sets and versions of test cases may get a little uncomfortable seeing a model and no test cases at all!

There are already tools available to create a system's model, and many of them provide a mechanism to run a model covering different paths and points of verification. With a few iterations and practice, one can create and run models to comprehend how and what kinds of virtual test cases are developed and implemented from the model.

What is Model-Based Testing (MBT)

MBT is a testing technique when we define an abstract model which describes a software behavior and then use this model to test the real software based on predictions of paths.

The Abstract test suit acts as a basis on which the executable test suite is derived. The executable test suite (automation scripts) mapped with the abstract test cases can directly communicate with the SUT(System Under Test).

Key components of model-based testing

Model

A model is a graphical representation of the system's behavior with States and Actions. The model starts with initial conditions and ends with exit conditions. Behavior can be described in terms of input sequences, actions, conditions, output, and data flow from input to output.

A Model is interpreted as or translated to a state transition system or finite-state automation. The state transition diagram is represented by the model of the application, a directed graph where nodes represent the states of the application and edges represent the transitions.

A typical model could be represented in different forms based on the tool selected. A few such examples are shown below:

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