Authors: Elfriede Dustin, Thom Garrett, Bernie Gauf
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Reviewed by: Jeanne Boyarsky
Rating: 9 horseshoes
"Implementing Automated Software Testing" is meant for software
test professionals and managers. The authors also list developers and project managers in the target audience. If an organization has developers/pms in a dual role, this makes sense. The book really is written from a QA viewpoint.
At least one of the authors has done work for the Department of Defense and the other two sound like they have worked closely with it. The writing style reminds me of the CMM documents - a government research paper style leaks through. This isn't a bad thing - I thought it was a very good book - just something to be prepared for.
I particularly liked the distinction between Automated Software Testing and playback/record testing. The book really walks you through setting up an Automated Software Testing program. It contain recipes (which are more like requirements), each of the phases and how to respond to roadblocks. There was a whole chapter dedicated to myths and best practices. For someone setting this up, there are checklists and a job description (skills and roles) needed for each of the phases.
Overall, this book is like a field guide for someone about to start an Automated Software Testing program. My only criticism is that it is acronym heavy - remember the government paper comment - and could have used a glossary.