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:

1. The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

2. • 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:
2
The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

3. • Imagine yourself as a farmer whose fields are
attacked by locusts. The damage is huge and
all of the farmer’s 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

4. • 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

5. • 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

6. • 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
farmer’s pesticide.
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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

7. • 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

8. • 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-methodologies-and-
philosophies/the-test-automation-pesticide-paradox/
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The Test Automation Pesticide Paradox

9. Thank You!
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