Not Your Parents’ Automation -Practical Application of NonTraditional Automation

Agenda:

6:15 - 6:30 Pizza and social time
6:30 - 7:30 Presentation
7:30 - Q&A and Social time

About the presentation:

Automation based on test cases is often valuable, but in some situations, testers can realize greater value by broadening their view of automation so it encompasses applying technology to help perform any testing-related activity.

Abstract:

Most software companies have an automation initiative; some are just starting and some are humming right along. Typically, these initiatives focus on “traditional automation,” using a software package to automate existing test cases or user stories. Not that, there’s anything wrong with that; often, there is value in that method. If, however, we use only the traditional approach to automation, we miss opportunities to exploit the power of automation.

Instead of focusing on how many test cases we can automate, what if we consider this: how can automation help me best do my job?

During this session, Paul Grizzaffi will share some real-world examples where non-traditional automation (or “automation assist”) provided business value, highlighting cases where the traditional method could not have provided the same level of testing; you will hear High Volume Automated Testing (HiVAT) highlighted as one of these automation assist approaches. You will also hear some thoughts to keep in mind when implementing automation assist and see examples of creating helpers from tools not traditionally used for automation.

Session Takeaways:

• Traditional automation can be valuable, but do not be blinded by the typical approach
• Utilize automation to help you do your job efficiently
• There is more than one way to use your tools
• Be mindful of who will be running the tools and where the tools will be running

Speaker Bio:

As a Principal Automation Architect at Magenic, Paul Grizzaffi is following his passion of providing technology solutions to testing and QA organizations, including automation assessments, implementations, and through activities benefiting the broader testing community. An accomplished keynote speaker and writer, Paul has spoken at both local and national conferences and meetings. He is an advisor to Software Test Professionals and STPCon, as well as a member of the Industry Advisory Board of the Advanced Research Center for Software Testing and Quality Assurance (STQA) at UT Dallas where he is a frequent guest lecturer. Paul enjoys sharing his experiences and learning from other testing professionals; his mostly cogent thoughts can be read on his blog at https://responsibleautomation.wordpress.com