Automation is What We Do

Why Test Automation is Perfectly Logical in an IT World

Who am I and why am I here?

Name: Joseph E. Beale (joseph.beale@huntington.com)

Title: Enterprise Quality Automation Lead at Huntington National Bank

What is essential to know about me:

• 18 years of experience in IT; 12 years in QA/testing; 10 years in leadership.

• I have a passion for efficiency in testing through the use of automation.

My Goal: to eliminate every tedious manual process that exists in IT.

What I hope to accomplish today:

• Extol the virtues of test automation and defeat all of the objections to it.

• Enlighten, encourage, and inspire.

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The Manual Approach

The Automated Approach

• Automation will save you time

• Automation gives you more power

• Automation eases your pain

• Automation helps you move forward

Arguments in Favor

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• Comparison of table extract vs. mainframe output file:Time to test manually = 5 minutesTime to test using automation = .483 secondsTest efficiency increase: ~ 60,000%

• Web services production smoke test:Time to test manually = 60 minutesTime to test using automation = 12 secondsTest efficiency increase: 2900%

• Web test script – happy path of online bill pay functions:Time to test manually = 3 min., 54 sec.Time to test using automation = 58.24 secondsTest efficiency increase: 300%

Automation Will Save You Time

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• An increase in efficiency of 100% doubles your testing capacity.

• Scheduling tools allow you to test during non-working hours.

• You can run your regression suite weekly, daily, or hourly depending on hardware, number of tests, and the needs of the system.

• Automation of functional tests builds your regression suite by default.

• Explore!

• Train!

Automation Gives You More Power

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• Running through the same scenarios over and over again is tedious. Let the machine do it for you!

• You can get more testing done earlier in the cycle, thus avoiding the long days and weekends typical of “release week”.

• Earlier volume testing = more defects caught early when they’re easy to fix.

Automation Eases Your Pain

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• TDD and ATDD

• Continuous Integration

• Continuous Delivery

Automation Helps You Move Forward

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Continuous Integration (CI)

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The Result of Not Using CI

“One Piece at a Time”

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Continuous Delivery

• It takes too much time

• It takes resources away from testing

• The business won’t pay for it

• The maintenance costs are too high

• We don’t have the technical skills

Arguments Against

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It takes too much timeTypical quotes: “I have too much testing to do.” “I don’t have time to build automation.”

What’s really behind the objection:

• Fear of the unknown.

• No confidence that automation will make a difference.

How to defeat it:

• “How long will it take?”

• Prove the concept.

• “We’ll plan for the next release.”

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It takes resources away from testing

Typical quotes: “I don’t have anyone I can spare for this task.” “All of my people are already busy with testing.”

What’s really behind the objection:

• Unit is already understaffed.

• Fear of losing control.

How to defeat it:

• Give them some of your time.

• Partner with one resource who has caught the vision.

• “We’ll plan for the next release.”

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The business won’t pay for itTypical quotes: “I don’t have any hours for this task.” “I can’t justify the cost to my business partners.”

What’s really behind the objection:

• The manager is not willing or not able to make a business case.

• No confidence that automation will make a difference.

How to defeat it:

• “How much will it cost?”

• Do it anyway.

• Start small.

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The maintenance costs are too high

Typical quotes: “Every time the app changes all the tests break and I have to fix them.” “We’ll spend more time fixing them than they will save.”

What’s really behind the objection:

• Experience with a record-and-play automation strategy.

• No awareness of hidden risks in the current strategy.

How to defeat it:

• “Are you familiar with Ruby/Cucumber?”

• TDD/ATDD

• Regular exercise is good for tests.

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We don’t have the technical skills

Typical quotes: “I’m a tester, not a developer.” “Training is too expensive and we don’t have time for it anyway.”

What’s really behind the objection:

• Fear of difficult challenges.

• No appreciation for what they have already learned.

How to defeat it:

• It’s a team effort.

• The internet is an incredibly rich resource.

• “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”

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Closing Argument

If you are part of an IT group, Automation is What You Do.

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Closing Argument

We are living in an IT World

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Closing Argument

Embrace your Inner Nerd!

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