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
Arguments in Favor
• Automation will save you time
• Automation gives you more power
• Automation eases your pain
• Automation helps you move forward
5
Automation Will Save You Time
• Comparison of table extract vs. mainframe output file:
Time to test manually = 5 minutes
Time to test using automation = .483 seconds
Test efficiency increase: ~ 60,000%
• Web services production smoke test:
Time to test manually = 60 minutes
Time to test using automation = 12 seconds
Test 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 seconds
Test efficiency increase: 300%
6
Automation Gives You More Power
• 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!
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Automation Eases Your Pain
• 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.
8
Automation Helps You Move
Forward
• TDD and ATDD
• Continuous Integration
• Continuous Delivery
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Continuous Integration (CI)
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The Result of Not Using CI
“One Piece at a Time”
Continuous Delivery
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Arguments Against
• 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
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It takes too much time
Typical 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.”
14
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.”
15
The business won’t pay for it
Typical 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.
16
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.
17
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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