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Objective

Probato was created to simplify, structure, and sustain test automation projects, especially in scenarios where system complexity and automation scale make traditional approaches difficult to maintain.

As development processes evolve toward agile and continuous delivery models, test automation is no longer optional and becomes a central element of quality assurance. In this context, Probato emerges as an initiative designed to address recurring problems that limit the efficiency and long-term evolution of test automation.

Problems that motivated Probato

Test automation projects often suffer from:

  • Unstructured growth of test scripts
  • Excessive coupling between scenarios, data, state, and execution
  • Increasing maintenance difficulty as the system evolves
  • Low predictability of executions
  • Limited visibility into results, failures, and metrics

These factors increase maintenance costs, reduce test reliability, and make it difficult to scale automation in complex systems.

Probato was conceived to address these limitations in a structural, not merely tactical, way.

Standardization and predictability

One of Probato’s core objectives is to standardize how automated tests are defined, organized, and executed.

By enforcing a clear structure and well-defined responsibilities, the framework aims to:

  • Reduce variation across projects and teams
  • Improve readability and understanding of tests
  • Make automation behavior predictable and reproducible

This level of standardization is essential for sustainable automation growth.

Sustainable automation in agile environments

In agile environments, frequent changes require fast and reliable validation.
Probato aims to enable continuous automation that keeps pace with development speed without compromising quality.

By structuring tests in a clear and decoupled way, the framework reduces the effort required to adapt to changes and supports faster feedback cycles throughout development.

Reduced maintenance effort and cost

Another fundamental objective of Probato is to reduce the total cost of maintaining test automation.

This includes:

  • Minimizing rework caused by system changes
  • Facilitating long-term evolution of tests
  • Enabling reuse of logic, data, and configuration
  • Reducing dependency on constant manual adjustments

The focus is not only on executing tests, but on keeping automation viable in the long term.

Open evolution and collaboration

Probato is an Open Source initiative, designed to evolve through community contribution.

Its objective is to serve as a solid and extensible foundation, capable of incorporating improvements, adaptations, and new ideas as real automation needs emerge.

Developers, testers, and enthusiasts are encouraged to collaborate to strengthen the framework and keep it aligned with real-world demands.

Objective summary

In summary, Probato exists to:

  • Structure test automation in a consistent way
  • Make executions predictable and reliable
  • Reduce maintenance effort and cost
  • Support automation in agile and continuous delivery environments
  • Promote collaborative evolution through the community

These objectives guide all architectural and functional decisions within the framework.