ABT Foundations • Module 9
Reporting and Observability
Making test results actionable
Module 9 of 30
"Dear Marilyn,
We have thousands of test results but no one looks at them. When something fails, people just re-run until it passes. How do we make our test reports actually useful?
— Report Ignored"
Marilyn Responds:
A report no one reads is not a report—it's noise. The problem isn't the report; it's that the report doesn't answer the questions people actually have.
Good reporting answers: What failed? Why? What should I do about it? How urgent is it?
ABT builds observability into the framework, not as an afterthought.
Actionable Reporting
Effective test reports include:
- Executive Summary — Pass/fail at a glance for managers
- Failure Analysis — Root cause, not just symptoms, for developers
- Trend Data — Is quality improving or degrading over time?
- Action Items — What needs to be done, by whom, by when?
Quick Check: Module 9
Question: What makes a test report 'actionable'?
a) It has lots of charts
b) It tells you what to do about the results
c) It's sent to many people
d) It's generated automatically
(Answer: b — Actionable reports don't just present data—they guide decisions and next steps.)