ThoughtWorks Studios Releases New Version of Twist for Improved Automated Agile Testing

SAN FRANCISCO, April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ThoughtWorks Studios (www.thoughtworks-studios.com), a global leader in enterprise Agile development products and services, today announced the latest version of Twist, the company's automated test solution. New features help development teams release quality software faster through improved support for larger and more complex test suites, and new feedback capabilities that allow teams to build test suites in conjunction with Twist's refactoring support.

"A key component to a successful Agile ALM strategy is tool support that maintains robust automated regression suites. To that end, analyzing test suites to find duplication and opportunities for improvement is a significant step forward in making the evolution of those test suites easier," said Chad Wathington, vice president, product development for ThoughtWorks Studios. "Twist's inherent ease-of-use and new features make it an ideal component for IT organizations looking to expand the scope of Agile beyond small teams and avoid the traditional limitations of manual testing."

Twist provides an intuitive user experience to create highly robust and reusable test automation frameworks for both manual and functional automated tests. Along with Mingle (Agile project management) and Go (Agile release management), Twist is an integral part of ThoughtWorks Studios' Agile ALM solution. It provides continuous visibility into testing activities across distributed projects and teams, and supports enterprise Agile projects by combining requirements and test specification management and creation. Twist provides a reusable, multi-platform testing capability that ensures testing keeps pace with application development through increased visibility and feedback of Agile testing activities throughout the application lifecycle.

"Twist enabled the business to deliver a higher quality product," said Stuart Taylor, delivery manager for AutoTrader.co.uk, the United Kingdom's number one automotive website. "Fewer production defects reduced operation costs. Increased confidence in the product's quality has allowed a higher frequency release schedule that delivers larger pieces of functionality."

New features in Twist 2.2 include:

• Scenario Analyzer: users can now analyze test suites and identify patterns of test steps that are repeatedly used within a test suite. They can use the existing "extract concept" and "push to implementation" refactoring features to simplify the structure of the test suite.
• Saved Filters: users can now organize tests by saving tag combinations: users can more efficiently manage test suites through improved navigation when reading and maintaining tests.
• Record Multiple Steps: users can now record multiple test steps sequentially in the same recording session, allowing for faster recording while ensuring that tests are recorded at an atomic level, making them easier to maintain than traditional record and playback tools.
• Additional features of Twist 2.2 include:
  • Improved usability when creating and maintaining workflow fixtures.
  • Auto-complete now available for parameters.
  • Visual reporting for contexts.
  • Word wrap in scenario editor.
  • Concepts now show contextual data.
  • Improved usability for refactoring features.

With Twist teams now have the ability to evolve maintainable functional test suites to test complex applications, with tests that are written in the language of business, not code. It is commonly used as a bridge from manual to automated functional testing, and to support the maintenance of large complex test suites.

For more information or to download a free 30-day trial of Twist please visit: (www.thoughtworks-studios.com/twist)

About ThoughtWorks Studios

ThoughtWorks Studios is a global leader in Agile ALM products and training. A division of ThoughtWorks, Inc.®, the pioneer in Agile development and best-practices, it offers the tools, coaching and experience to help companies realize the full potential of Agile development in the enterprise. Its products, Mingle (project management), Twist (automated testing) and Go (Agile release management), help organizations manage all aspects of the software development lifecycle – from requirements definition and portfolio management to test automation, quality assurance and release management. The company's Agile Workshops provide in-depth training that covers all facets of Agile ALM best practices. Customers include 3M, Barclays, BBC, eBay, Honeywell, McGraw-Hill, Rackspace and Vodafone. ThoughtWorks Studios is headquartered in San Francisco and Bangalore, with offices in London and select cities in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, please visit www.thoughtworks-studios.com

Media Contact:
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SOURCE ThoughtWorks Studios