NEWS
Can Manual Testers Survive in the Age of DevOps?
What does the ever-increasing automation mean to manual software testers? Well, it doesn't have to be that bad! Kevin Dunne shares some really useful tips on how to adapt and mitigate the risk of becoming redundant.
If that's not enough, check out these three valid reasons why we'll always need software testers by Kristin Jackvony.
Why You May Not Need Test Cases
Just two weeks ago I featured an article on why test case management tools might not be needed anymore and now we have yet another great post that questions the use of test cases. Why this shift? Johanna South explains.
One Approach to Interviewing Testers
It's really interesting to see Geir Gulbrandsen's approach to hiring software testers. Both managers and candidates can find some good takeaways here.
There's also part 2 and part 3. I recommend reading them all!
Part 3: Testing vs Quality Management
What is quality? It's been discussed over and over again but it seems we can't find the universal answer. Maybe because there isn't one? Janet Gregory tries to define quality on many levels, quoting a lot of remarkable definitions. There's a lot to learn from the article as well as the comments.
In relation to this matter, you may also want to read about the future of Quality by Angela Riggs.
QA tips for the beginners
Getting started with software testing? Kusum Gole gives 11 solid tips for aspiring software testers. I sort of wish I read them at the beginning of my career!
AUTOMATION
Appium up and running (working example)
Sławomir Radzymiński shared a very practical guide on how to get started with the mobile testing framework, Appium, from downloading the library to implementing a test for iOS and Android.
Running automated tests on Real Devices with Amazon Device Farm and Browserstack
This is a detailed, step-by-step guide to running Appium tests in the cloud using AWS Device Farm and BrowserStack. By Ruslan Dzutcev.
And if you want to know more about the AWS Device Farm itself, check out this overview.
Let your test automation choose the input data
Bart Vanherck shows how you can randomize test input data depending on given criteria. Although the example is in Python using Hypothesis library, I'm pretty sure there are equivalents for other programming languages.
Integration testing with Python, TestProject.io, and GitHub Actions
I liked this insightful article on how Waylon Walker used the new TestProject's Python SDK and Github Actions to automate the process of testing... his own website!
TOOLS
API testing tools: An Example Based Guide
A hands-on guide by Manuel Mariñez who presents three ways to do API testing by using the same example to compare different tools: curl, Postman, and SoapUI.
Automation testing ROI estimation tool
Do you have troubles estimating the ROI of automating manual tests? This simple tool (a spreadsheet, really) by Dzmitry Yashyn can help you figure out if automation is worth the effort. Your manager might like it!
SelectorsHub — Chrome extension to find the best XPath and CSS selectors
This free-to-use project may come in handy to many of you automating website UI tests, as it makes locating elements a bliss! It's been created by Sanjay Kumar and released just a couple of weeks ago.
Here's a guide to get you started!
VIDEOS
SQAWebinars — an aggregated list of all software testing webinars
And if you're looking for software testing webinars, this is the place to go! Mohit Kumar created a platform that aggregates all webinars signing up to which is just a click away.
PODCASTS
16 Best Software Testing Podcasts in 2020
If you're looking for a software testing podcast, Kalei White shared this well-described list that should help you find the right one!
COMMENT
Welcome to the 31st issue of Software Testing Weekly!
Even heard of the Choluteca Bridge? A bridge so strong that it lasted a hurricane when everything around was wiped out.
Prakash Iyer shared this interesting story, using it as a metaphor to what can happen to our careers if we insist to specialise and resist to adapt.
Quite relatable to software testing space where our roles evolve so rapidly. We need to adjust or else we'll become great specialists that are of no use anymore. You'll learn more about it in the first article below.
Also, you've probably noticed that I publish only the latest news here. However, there's tons of great content from the past that Sam Connelly just started resurfacing in her monthly editions of Testing Archives. I like the idea and I'm sure you will too.
Have a great weekend!
Dawid Dylowicz