Innovation Journal - Cognizant

REWIRE - DESCRIPTIVE RFT
The CoE’s test automation experts gave this challenge some thought.
While IBM RFT was a flexible tool compared with QTP, testers still had
to know Java in order to carry out test automation. Over the next week,
the CoE came back with their idea: Instead of automating the test
cases, they suggested creating a visual interface around IBM RFT that
would allow manual testers to automate test cases by themselves. In
other words, to repeat an old saying, give a man a fish and you feed
him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
The end result was the Descriptive RFT (Rational Functional Tester)
utility, an add-on to IBM RFT that allows non-technical users to learn
quickly, and automate test cases intuitively without having extensive
knowledge of Java.
When the client’s manual testing team used this utility, they completed
their testing in 50% of the time they would have normally taken, with
execution time for test scripts dropping by 63% and maintenance
effort decreasing by at least 33%. Further, it took the testing team just
one week to finish regression testing.
The test delivery manager was pleased with the results – he could now
support his client’s move to monthly release cycles without having to
resort to risk-based testing. Thanks to Cognizant’s Descriptive RFT
tool, the dealers would have critical monthly updates on-time to
support their business.
Descriptive RFT is an excellent example of how a challenging client
demand, coupled with out-of-the-box thinking and employee
empowerment, can result in a simple, innovative solution for a critical
business need.
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