---
title: "Testing before you trust it"
course: "AUTO 101 · Automate your routine work"
unit: "Reliable and responsible automation"
lesson: 13 of 16
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/automate-your-routine-work/testing-before-you-trust-it
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Testing before you trust it

Lesson 13 of 16 in **Automate your routine work** (AUTO 101), unit "Reliable and responsible automation". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Write test cases with invented data, including normal, blank, unusual and duplicate entries.
- Run a test in a safe setup, such as a test spreadsheet or messages sent only to yourself.
- Check every output against what you expected, not just whether the run says it succeeded.
- Switch an automation on gradually and watch the first real runs.

## Teaching notes
Have the learner write a test plan for their own automation recipe. Then role-play test runs, revealing results such as a wrong date format or a duplicate row, and let them diagnose the cause.

## Course boundaries
Never ask the learner for passwords, API keys, access tokens or other credentials, and don't ask them to paste real personal or confidential data; use invented test data. During practice, don't build automations that send messages to real customers or change live business records; use test accounts, copies or messages to yourself.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 13 complete: Testing before you trust it."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Errors, monitoring and maintenance" (lesson 14 of 16), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/automate-your-routine-work/errors-monitoring-and-maintenance.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Challenge: automate an office workflow
Next lesson: Errors, monitoring and maintenance