The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

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• The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

• A few years ago someone explained to me the
  pesticide paradox of test automation. It was a
  term I had not heard of, and  I was given the
  following explanation

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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

• Imagine yourself as a farmer whose fields are
  attacked by locusts. The damage is huge and all
  of the farmers crops are lost.  The loss is
  tremendous and means his family struggle to
  survive for the year and he knows that the next
  year he must take some precautions.
• He saves what little money he has available and
  spends this on a pesticide to treat his crops
  against locusts.

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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

• Sure enough the locusts attack, but they are
  systematically killed saving most of his crop.
• The farmer is very happy but does not realize
  that his plan is flawed. 1 percent of the locusts
  did not die during the attack as they had a
  natural immunity to the pesticide.

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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

• Each year the farmer now sprays his crops and
  kills locusts, but each year there are more
  locusts, which are born with the natural
  immunity. 
• Eventually the farmer realizes that he must
  change his pesticide or risk losing his crop
  again.

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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

• So what is the moral of the story and how does it
  relate to automation? 
• Automation testing ( https//goo.gl/i7crr8 ) is
  often used as the means of performing tests that
  will be repeated the most natural use is around
  the regression pack, akin to the farmers
  pesticide. 

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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

• With vast savings possible as a result of script
  automation, dramatically reducing the time taken
  to run them, it is a natural area to apply
  automation.
•  In a well-organized test function, the subject
  of maintenance should be a natural step as
  changes are made to the function, the automated
  scripts are modified and maintained up-to-date.

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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

• The second aspect, which is a natural inclusion,
  is for new scripts to be automated to support
  wider regression and cover new functionality.
• Read more here
• http//www.qualitestgroup.com/blog/test-methodolog
  ies-and-philosophies/the-test-automation-pesticide
  -paradox/

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