Test Automation Pattern

Test automation is a critical capability identified in DORA research that enables organizations to achieve elite performance through rapid, reliable feedback cycles. According to the research, elite performers automate 95% of their tests.

Core Principles

Principle	Description	Implementation
Test Pyramid	Balance test types for optimal coverage	Unit (70%), Integration (20%), E2E (10%)
Shift Left	Test early in development cycle	CI pipeline integration
Reliability	Tests should be deterministic	Avoid flaky tests
Speed	Quick feedback loops	Parallel test execution
Trunk-Based	Support frequent integration	Pre-merge testing

Implementation Guide

1. Unit Testing

@Test
void deploymentFrequencyCalculation() {
    // Arrange
    DeploymentMetrics metrics = new DeploymentMetrics();
    List<Deployment> deployments = Arrays.asList(
        new Deployment("2023-01-01"),
        new Deployment("2023-01-02")
    );

    // Act
    double frequency = metrics.calculateFrequency(deployments);

    // Assert
    assertEquals(2.0, frequency, "Should calculate correct deployment frequency");
}

@Test
void shouldHandleNoDeployments() {
    // Arrange
    DeploymentMetrics metrics = new DeploymentMetrics();
    List<Deployment> deployments = Collections.emptyList();

    // Act & Assert
    assertDoesNotThrow(() -> metrics.calculateFrequency(deployments));
    assertEquals(0.0, metrics.calculateFrequency(deployments));
}

2. Integration Testing with TestContainers

@TestContainer
class DeploymentRepositoryTest {
    @Container
    static PostgreSQLContainer<?> postgres = new PostgreSQLContainer<>("postgres:14")
        .withDatabaseName("testdb")
        .withUsername("test")
        .withPassword("test");

    @Test
    void shouldPersistDeployment() {
        // Arrange
        DeploymentRepository repository = new DeploymentRepository(postgres.getJdbcUrl());
        Deployment deployment = new Deployment("2023-01-01");

        // Act
        repository.save(deployment);

        // Assert
        Optional<Deployment> found = repository.findById(deployment.getId());
        assertTrue(found.isPresent());
        assertEquals("2023-01-01", found.get().getDate());
    }
}

3. End-to-End Testing with Cypress

describe('Deployment Pipeline', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    cy.intercept('GET', '/api/deployments').as('getDeployments');
    cy.login(); // Custom command for authentication
  });

  it('shows deployment metrics dashboard', () => {
    // Arrange
    cy.visit('/dashboard');

    // Act
    cy.wait('@getDeployments');

    // Assert
    cy.get('[data-testid="deployment-frequency"]').should('be.visible');
    cy.get('[data-testid="lead-time"]').should('be.visible');
    cy.get('[data-testid="change-failure-rate"]').should('be.visible');
    cy.get('[data-testid="mttr"]').should('be.visible');
  });

  it('creates new deployment', () => {
    // Arrange
    cy.visit('/deployments/new');

    // Act
    cy.get('[data-testid="service-name"]').type('fawkes-web');
    cy.get('[data-testid="version"]').type('1.0.0');
    cy.get('[data-testid="submit"]').click();

    // Assert
    cy.get('[data-testid="success-message"]')
      .should('be.visible')
      .and('contain', 'Deployment created successfully');
  });
});

Continuous Integration Pipeline

# GitHub Actions workflow for test automation
name: Test Automation
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up JDK
        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Unit Tests
        run: ./gradlew test

      - name: Integration Tests
        run: ./gradlew integrationTest

      - name: E2E Tests
        uses: cypress-io/github-action@v6
        with:
          browser: chrome
          config-file: cypress.config.js

      - name: Upload Test Reports
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: test-reports
          path: build/reports/tests/

Test Coverage Goals

Test Type	Coverage Target	Run Frequency	Max Duration
Unit	80%	Every commit	3 minutes
Integration	60%	Every PR	10 minutes
E2E	40%	Daily	30 minutes

Performance Metrics

According to DORA research, elite performers achieve:

• Test Runtime: < 10 minutes for the full suite
• Test Reliability: > 95% pass rate
• Coverage: > 80% of critical paths
• Automation: > 95% of all tests

View Example Project Testing Guide