Test automation | 13
pride
F
or the past 15-plus years, As Dante journeys through the
organisations have turned Inferno he encounters sinners
to test automation as a way condemned to eternal damnation
to improve efficiency in the because of their actions or in some
software Development life cycle. Yet cases inaction while on earth. As
despite heavy investment, software I myself journey from prospect to
testing is still often the bottleneck in prospect I often encounter the ‘sinners’
the delivery cycle. In a recent survey of test automation, whose projects
of CIOs, only six percent were totally are condemned to eternal damnation
happy with their automation. The scary because of their actions, or, in many
thing is that this is tolerated - It’s the cases, the inaction that we un-earth.
norm! One can gain a deeper understanding
“Only in a world this s****y could of Dante’s Inferno by studying the
you even try to say these were seven deadly sins which brought these
He’d fallen into the
innocent people and keep a straight souls to this miserable place. In this superiority trap of
face. But that's the point. We see a article I will explore each of the seven
believing that the most
deadly sin on every street corner, in deadly sins as they relate to software
expensive or most
every home, and we tolerate it. We test automation, instances we come
tolerate it because it's common, it's across time and time again, and traps
prevalent solution would
trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, clients have often fallen into because always be the best, but
and night. Well, not anymore. I'm of their earthly vices.
now was beginning to
setting the example.” John Doe (Kevin
realise that this particular
Spacey) in the film Se7en. Pride / Vanity
The Italian poet Dante Alighieri Usually considered the worst of the
technology was not
(1265-1321), wrote three epic poems sins, pride is a feeling of superiority actually compatible with
(known collectively as the Divine and an excessive belief in a person's
his company’s needs. He’d
Comedy) titled Inferno, Purgatorio, and own abilities; A desire to be more
brought this solution in,
Paradiso. In his book Inferno, Dante important or attractive to others,
recounts the visions he has in a dream failing to give credit due to others,
so his pride was unable to
in which he enters and descends into or excessive love of self. This sin
take failure. Instead he
hell. The sinners that Dante encounters often manifests itself in the wanton
persevered until it was too
in the Inferno are each punished in squandering of money and time on
late and placed unrealistic
accordance with which of the seven themselves without caring about
deadly sins they were most guilty of others.
goals on his QA team, who
while they were alive. Now, I can’t Picture the scene: The wool has been
were then forced to revert
help but to liken this to our very own pulled over the eyes of Brimstone
back to manual testing.
industry. Business Application Co’s CIO. He did
T.E.S.T | March 09 March 09 | T.E.S.T June 09 | T.E.S.T
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