Thought after Test Automation Day 2013

Henry Ford said “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when take your eyes off the goal.” After I’ve been to Test Automation Day last month I’m figuring out why industrializing testing doesn’t work. I try to put it in this negative perspective, because I think it works! But also when is it successful? A lot of times the remark from Ford is indeed the problem. People tend to see obstacles. Obstacles because of the thought that it’s not feasible to change something. They need to change. But that’s not an easy change.

After attending the #TAD2013 as it was on Twitter I saw a huge interest in better testing, faster testing, even cheaper testing by using tools to industrialize. Test automation has long been seen as an interesting option that can enable faster testing. it wasn’t always cheaper, especially the first time, but at least faster. As I see it it’ll enable better testing. “Better?” you may ask. Test automation itself doesn’t enable better testing, but by automating regression tests and simple work the tester can focus on other areas of the quality.

And isn’t that the goal? In the end all people involved in a project want to deliver a high quality product, not full of bugs. But they also tend to see the obstacles. I see them less and less. New tools are so well advanced and automation testers are becoming smarter and smarter that they enable us to look beyond the obstacles. I would like to say look over the obstacles.

At the Test Automation Day I learned some new things, but it also proved something I already know; test automation is here to stay. We don’t need to focus on the obstacles, but should focus on the goal.

--Ewald