Ask Me Anything - Automation

In our inaugural Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, we had the privilege of hosting Richard Bradshaw as our esteemed guest. The focus of this enlightening AMA was automation, and our host, Simon Tomes, skillfully guided a whirlwind 60-minute exploration of automation knowledge. Richard tackled a plethora of pressing questions, offering insights on implementing test automation in a fictional company, the role of automation in testers' career success, recommended resources for honing automation skills, and the integration of automation tools in the context of Continuous Delivery. He also highlighted the distinction between "Automation in Testing" and "Test Automation" and emphasized the non-technical skills that can elevate testers' effectiveness in automation.

The AMA delved into crucial aspects such as building trust in automation results, advocating for improved automation testability, quantifying the value of automation with measurable metrics, and the significance of integration tests in software delivery. The discussion ventured into automation tools created by engineers and the involvement of developers in writing functional automation tests. Richard also shared insights on effective test data management, automation in non-web Windows applications, and areas where automation might not be the most suitable choice.