2024-02-28 –, RoboConOnline
Are developers able to write automated tests and should they do it? And if so, in what sense, in which areas, and to what extent? Let us take a closer look at the symbiosis of developers and test automation specialists and explore why keeping they roles separate is the key to unlocking the potential of a testing process.
In software development, the question of the developer's role in automated testing and that of the test automation specialist in development occasionally arises. We will take a thought-provoking look at this complex relationship in our talk.
This question considers the overlap and similarities between their personalities and roles; however, differences do exist. While developers may possess the technical ability to create functional automated tests, test automation encompasses more than merely writing automatic tests, just as development involves more than coding an application. The skill sets of the two groups differ significantly: developers require extensive technical knowledge, while testers need to empathise with users or customers, understanding their needs and behaviour, business processes, and use cases. They require different mindsets: technically oriented versus customer-oriented, constructive versus critical, and synthetic versus analytical. (It is no coincidence that developers tend to focus on positive, happy-day scenarios, whereas testers usually discover negative ones.)
It is therefore difficult to envisage a centaur, part tester and part developer, possessing these contrasting skills and mindsets. What is beyond imagination is this creature not being overwhelmed by its workload and receiving fair remuneration. However, the attitudes and skills of both developers and TA specialists are critical to the development of high-quality software, and thus not only performing tasks of the ones and the others but also maintaining a clear distinction between these two groups appears to be vital. Their collaboration is undoubtedly essential and, fortunately, also feasible as long as both parties strive to understand each other's inherently different personalities and attitudes while respecting each other's expertise. Their shared focus on a common goal and areas of their knowledge that overlap can also be immensely beneficial.
Join us as we explore the intricacies of these fascinating species, find the optimal way for them to collaborate symbiotically, and consider how their interplay can enhance both your development process and its outcomes.
Everyone who has dealings with creating automated functional tests, including developers (i.e. totally everyone in the audience :))
Is this suitable for ..?:Beginner RF user, Intermediate RF user, Advanced RF user
Born with a sharp mind, a keen eye for detail and a cheeky mouth, I thrilled my teachers both in a positive (maths, physics) and negative (PE and so on) way. I worked as a scientist and a software developer, but I found the domain best suited to my unique blessings and curses nine years ago: software testing. These days, I annoy my fellow workers and bosses in the greatest Czech bank: Česká spořitelna. One of my professional interests is to explain to anybody why their code in Robot Framework (or Python or any other language) is dirty, fragile, slow or plainly terrible. The other one is creating internal standards for doing almost anything. I also enjoy mentoring juniors to transform them into the same beasts I am. My extracurricular interest is studying anything at universities, and I have just finished my 31st year of schooling.