I started out as a manual tester who had little to no coding knowledge. I didn’t even know that test automation was a thing. Once I became acquainted with the concept, I realized how amazing it would be not spending so much time performing repetitive regression/sanity tests. However, a surprising outcome of becoming acquainted with test automation was that it scared me: There was so much to learn and several hurdles to clear. Maybe you're like me. Maybe you're struggling with figuring out test automation. Maybe it's something you'd love to get into, but you find yourself putting it off because it seems too overwhelming and you’re not sure where to start. In this presentation, I'll take you down my path toward understanding test automation. I will discuss some of the challenges I faced, and share the tools/techniques I found to make some of those challenges easier to overcome. Please join me to hopefully lessen the fear of the unknown involved with getting started with test automation, and help you overcome some of those hurdles to automation success!

1. "Fear is the mind-killer."
-Banishing the Fears of Test Automation
Presented by Jameson McGhee
• Jameson.McGhee1@gmail.com
• @JamesonRMcGhee
• Jameson-McGhee-CTFL
• KnoxQA.com

2. About Me
Senior Quality Assurance Engineer at Lirio
Been in QA for over 6 years
Worked on a number of different types of projects at
various companies
I love pineapple on pizza
I enjoy making stuff in my workshop

3. What is Test Automation?
Software created separate from the application
under test used to execute and verify repetitive
tasks performed by the application under test
are performing as intended.
Simply put, it is software used to simplify
testing of other software.

4. Why is it important?
Time efficiency
Reduce Regression Testing time
Reduce Sanity/Smoke Testing time
Increase DevOps Throughput

5. Tasks of the Tester in Your Organization

6. 74% stated Test automation & scripting was the primary
task of testers in their organization
Tasks of the Tester in Your Organization

7. Testing Skills and Knowledge Needed to Succeed

8. 96% agreed Functional testing automation and scripting
was Important/Very Important
Testing Skills and Knowledge Needed to Succeed

9. Why is it important?
Time efficiency
Reduce Regression Testing time
Reduce Sanity/Smoke Testing time
Increase DevOps Throughput
Valuable to potential employers

10. What Are Managers Looking for When Hiring Testers?

11. Test automation/coding abilities is the top of the list
What Are Managers Looking for When Hiring Testers?

12. Tests That Are Automated Most Often
Unit Tests
Integration Tests
API
Component
Acceptance
Service
UI-Based Tests
End-to-End

13. Testing Pyramid
Unit Tests
~50%
Integration Tests
~30%
UI-Based Tests
~20%

14. Where To Start
Build a repour with automation engineers and
developers
Personal assessment of your technical/coding
knowledge
Pick an automation tool/testing framework

15. Picking an Automation
Tool/Framework

16. Picking an Automation Tool/Framework
Thorough understanding of your project’s
requirements
GUI vs API/Backend
Type of technology
Examples
Desktop client
Webpage
Mobile app
API collection

17. Picking an Automation Tool/Framework
Identify key criteria for the project
Examples
Ease of automated test creation
Cross Browser and/or Mobile Device
Language(s) supported (Java, C#, etc.)
Combine all factors into a Pugh Matrix to
help assess tools against your needs

18. Pugh Matrix Example

19. Picking a Software
Language

20. Picking a Software Language
Tech stack at your company and/or in your
community
Most common languages used for test
automation
Type(s) of automation needed

21. Picking a Software Language

22. Picking a Software Language

23. Starting with Selenium and
Software Scripting

24. Using Katalon Recorder To Learn Selenium/Software Scripting

25. Common Selenium Commands

28. Export Recordings as Code

29. Using Postman To Learn API Automation

30. Export API Calls as Code

31. Picking Locators

32. Element/Object Locators
Identifiers that tell your test framework/tool which UI
element the current command is interacting with
Common Locators
CSS Selector
ID
Link Text
XPath
Document Object Model (DOM)

33. Locating Good Selectors

34. Locating Good Selectors

35. Locating Good Selectors

36. Locating Good Selectors

37. Resources
Tool Selection Process:
https://www.saviantconsulting.com/blog/4-steps-
select-test-automation-tool.aspx
PractiTest State of Testing Report:
https://qablog.practitest.com/state-of-testing/
SmartBear State of Testing Report:
https://smartbear.com/resources/ebooks/state-of-
testing-report-2018/
Locator Selection Info:
https://www.guru99.com/locators-in-selenium-
ide.html
Presented by Jameson McGhee
Jameson.McGhee1@gmail.com
@JamesonRMcGhee
Jameson-McGhee-CTFL
Knoxqa.com

38. Questions?
I know you got some. Lay ‘em on me…