47: Richard Bradshaw: Can Automation Do Actual Testing?

Can automation perform actual testing? What’s the difference between test automation and automation in testing? Discover a mind-shift that will help you improve your testing efforts and take your automation to the next level. In this episode, your friendly tester will free you from the common misunderstandings and myths of test automation and leave you smiling. Check it out!

About Richard Bradshaw the Friendly Tester

Richard is a friendly tester with a real passion for testing. He is very active in the testing community and hosted the very popular meetup in Nottingham called #NottsTest. Richard is also a founding member and co-organizer of the Midlands Exploratory Workshop on Testing (#MEWT).

Richard is currently working as an Independent Tester after having set up Friendly Testing Limited in 2014. He has been testing for over 8 years now.
Richard is a big advocate of automation, but not the silver bullet type, the type that really supports testing and testers. He is very technically minded and encourages the use of tools.

Quotes & Insights from this Test Talk

• Test Automation is any use of hardware of software tools to support testing
• Instead of saying Test Automation we should refer to it as Automation in Testing. This mind-shift should help you to consider other ways in which automation can help you with testing.
• Our basic Automation Architecture should include at least functionality for Data Management, Page Object  and Driver Factory
• We should focus on testing and how automation can support it NOT replace it
• Automation is really good at checking which is just a small piece of testing
• Checking is making evaluations on an algorithmic bases
• Automation can’t think and learning is a big part of the testing process
• Automation doesn’t replace testers it supports testers
• Testers should get involved in the development process as early as possible
• Much, much more!

Resources

• Lessons Learned in Software Testing
• Perfect Software: And other Illusions about Testing
• Explore It! Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing
• Testing and Checking – James Bach
• The Glass Cage: Automation and Us

Connect with Richard

• Twitter: @FriendlyTester
• Blog:thefriendlytester.co.uk

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