Key benefit: Provides the QA team with an overview of the testing outcomes, helping the team to make the right decision-making.
Proof of Concept is an exercise to test a finished product based on an idea or assumption. It gives a full description of how an AUT should work based on requirements and specifications. It increases the chances of a project becoming successful by demonstrating the functionality of the idea in view.
A POC has applications in various fields. In terms of automation testing, after considering and selecting the automation tool, a POC is necessary to see if the "ideal" idea of test automation works – to see whether the QA team/the company should apply automation in their projects. It helps avoid possible technical issues and other loopholes in the future, giving essential feedback at an early stage of the software development cycle.
Proof of Concept helps teams apply an automation tool on a small scale and then evaluate it, including:
Pinpoint the areas that will meet the end user's needs.
Tests the idea of the selected technology to be used
Identify potential gaps and risks early, as such, prevent huge losses in future.
Produces affirmation that a tool can find defects, including failed test cases
Put out areas of the test that can and cannot be automated, such as non-static pictures, video streams, and flash content.
Proffers a detailed specification of what is to be known about the tool under test
Ensures the fastest, most direct route to a successful project.
For stakeholders, A POC on test automation can be used to present the idea of automation transformation to stakeholders when the team/company is calling for investment in their projects.
With a POC, prospective stakeholders can be convinced that the idea is worth it. They get to make informed choices about their financial investments, thereby proving that the project will deliver what is promised. It also proves the technical feasibility of the project beforehand.
Creating a plan is crucial for determining how the selected tool can deliver its best advantages in the automation process.
Prove the need for your project: Before building an automation strategy. There is a need for full insight into the project demands. This can be done by sourcing test cases suitable for the testing and other features that might interest potential users and stakeholders.
Pinpoint the right solution: Next, the team brainstorms ways to provide the right solution to the needs identified. This step will help clear the doubt and assumptions about the end user's needs by providing a specified list of the testing pain point.
Showcase manual and automation testing: The POC should demonstrate manual and automation testing in a way that showcases no breakdown in the quality delivered by automation testing.
Documentation of failed test cases: The team should consider the inclusion of failed test cases. This fortifies the automation tool's usefulness in detecting defects – this shows that the tool can find software flaws, thereby reinforcing such tools.
Outline areas that can or cannot be automated: The POC should serve the purpose of proving the authenticity of the testing tool. At the same time, it needs to clearly show the ranges in the testing that cannot be automated, such as flash content, video streams, and non-static images.
Design a roadmap of the expected outcome: This stage should showcase all that is expected of the POC, which will later be compared with the obtained result. Some of the factors that should be highlighted by the automation testing POC include the following:
If the automation tool can automate the key features of the desired application
If the automation tool can run on the multiple browsers required by the project
If automation calls for change in the app implementation
Suggested template for a POC: Although there is no standardized template for POCs, there are some essentials that should be included:
Clearly defined requirements for the success of POC
Candidates of the POC – the selected automation tools
The project requirements
Pros and cons of the automation tools using the project requirements as the yardstick
Result of POC
Evaluate the Result of the POC
There are three possible results after implementing a POC:
The tool meets the project requirements. The tool can be considered feasible and suitable enough for the testing demands and can be implemented. If the POC pointed out some issues, the team could consider making the necessary adjustments accordingly.
The tool does not meet the project requirements. Such a tool should not be assigned to the project due to its limitations. Therefore, another tool should be considered.
The tool partially meets the project requirements. The circumstances around such a tool are uncertain; therefore, requirements should be reviewed by gathering more data to determine another way to implement it. Otherwise, revisit the criteria to see if another tool satisfies them better.
Conduct a Pilot Project for the POC. A pilot project creates a small-scale environment that the team can use to apply their POC and evaluate the results and make changes accordingly.
A pilot project should be established based on the guidelines for the tool, the feasibility of performing test automation with the tool, the tool's benefits, and all that it entails. In performing a pilot project, there are four major steps involved:
1. Set up a Pilot plan. This plan defines the purpose of the test for the POC. It clarifies the project benefits and objectives, also the test cases to be piloted. It should also state the activities and timeline for which the pilot test will run, including the steps and tasks necessary to carry out the proposed solution. Other essentials to be included are budget, resources to be used, and contingency plans.
2. Preparation and deployment of Pilot test With all essentials for the testing in place, the test team executes the specified test actions and deploys the test to a representative group of testers, thereby recording the results obtained. This gives room to fix any defects found for the test to be performed again, thus, enabling full assurance from the users that the project meets their needs and is ready for use.
3. Evaluation of the Pilot test Evaluating the data acquired will help to check if the stated objectives have been met. A comprehensive analysis of the gaps between the predicted results and the obtained results to decide if the solution was a success and should be adopted permanently or if the contingency plan should be considered.
For a successful POC to be conducted, the QA team should:
Prove the need for your project
Pinpoint the right solution
Create a prototype for your solution and test
Documentation of feedback
Create a Roadmap for POC approval
By using a pilot project, a minimal version of the environment for the application of POC is created. Together, testing teams can use both to evaluate their project ideas and offer solutions where needed.
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