Reduce Duplication

Avoid creating tests and test steps that are duplicated elsewhere. When multiple tests validate similar functionality, it increases the complexity of test maintenance and the amount of manual work necessary to add or change test functionality later.

Follow these recommendations to help keep test duplication to a minimum:

• Drive similar tests into test cases.

  Do this any time multiple tests have the same logic and where the only difference among the tests is the data entered or validated. A test to hire two employees or to create ten new vouchers would be a good candidate for taking advantage of test cases.

• Isolate sequences of test steps into called tests or libraries whenever the steps are identical.

  A procedure that verifies or sets the same setting on an installation table would be a good candidate for putting into a library if multiple products or tests modify the same setting.