Automated validation testing has been elusive for many in the validation community. There have been many “point solutions” on the market that addressed the creation, management and execution of validation testing. However, what most validation engineers want is TRULY AUTOMATED validation testing that will interrogate an application in a rigorous manner and report results in a manner that not only provides objective evidence of pass/fail criteria but will highlight each point of failure.
In the 1980’s when I was conducting validation exercises for mini- and mainframe computers and drafting test scripts in a very manual way, I often envisioned a time when I would be able to conduct validation testing in a more automated way. Most validation engineers work in an environment where they are asked to do more with less. Thus, the need for such a tool is profound.
Cloud computing environments, mobility, cybersecurity, and data integrity imperatives make it essential that we more thoroughly test applications today. Yet the burden of manual testing persists. If I could share with you 5 key features of an automated testing system it would include the following:
- Automated test script procedure capture and development
- Automated Requirements Traceability
- Fully Automated Validation Test Script Execution
- Automated Incident Capture and Management
- Ability to Support Continuous Testing in the Cloud
In most validation exercises I have participated in, validation testing was the most laborious part of the exercise. Automated testing is easier than you think.
For example, ValidationMaster™ includes an automated test engine that captures each step of your qualification procedure and annotates the step with details of the action performed.
Test cases can be routed for review and pre-approval with the system quickly and easily through DocuSign. Test case execution can be conducted online and a dynamic dashboard reports the status of how many test scripts have passed, how many have failed, or which ones may have passed with exception. Once test scripts have been executed, the test scripts may be routed for post-approval and signed.
Within the ValidationMaster™ system, you can create a reusable test script library to support future regression testing efforts. The system allows users to link requirements to test cases thus facilitating the easy generation of forward and reverse trace matrices. Exporting documents in your UNIQUE format is a snap within the system. Thus, you can consistently comply with your internal document procedures.
Continuous testing in a cloud environment is essential. ValidationMaster™ supports fully automated validation testing allowing users to set a date/time for testing. Test scripts are run AUTOMATICALLY without human intervention. Allowing multiple runs of the same scripts if necessary.
Continuous testing in a cloud environment is ESSENTIAL. You must have the ability to respond to rapid changes in a cloud environment that may impact the validated state of the system. Continuous testing reduces risk and ensures sustained compliance in a cloud environment.
The system automatically raises an incident report if a bug is encountered through automated testing. The system keeps track of each test run and results though automation. ValidationMaster™ includes a dynamic dashboard that shows the pass/fail status of each test script as well as requirements coverage, open risks, incident trend analysis and much more.
The time is now for automated validation testing. The good news is that there are enterprise level applications on the market that facilitate the full validation lifecycle process. Why are you still generating manual test scripts? Automated testing is easier than you think!
