This document outlines a plan for building automation engineers from scratch. The plan assumes resources like a group of manual testers and time are available. It discusses setting expectations around perceptions of ability, velocity, and success. The framework involves identifying existing knowledge and skills, learning new skills like coding, and finding a mentor. Challenges like deprioritization are addressed by making automation invaluable and embracing change. The overall goal is to empower a whole team with automation skills.

1. BUILDING AUTOMATION ENGINEERS
FROM SCRATCH
@jennydoesthings

2. HI, I’M JENNY
HUMAN INTERFACING IS MY
FAVORITE THING
MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE/HER
@jennydoesthings

3. THIS IS MY DARLING
DANTE
THIS IS
DAX DUMPLING
PRIVATE EYE
@jennydoesthings

4. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
THE PLAN
▸ Assumptions
▸ The Abridged History of Jenny
▸ Set Expectations
▸ Framework for Success
▸ Face Challenges
▸ ….
▸ Win!

5. ASSUMPTIONS
YOU NEVER START
FROM ZERO
@jennydoesthings

6. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
ASSUMPTIONS - RESOURCES
▸ You have a group of manual testers or are a manual tester
interested in moving towards automation.
▸ You have time and resources to apply to this adventure.
▸ You may have some kind of support system or mentoring
system in place, but at least have people willing to help.
▸ You’re willing to make a plan and execute that plan.

7. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
ASSUMPTIONS - HUMANS
▸ Every tester is an SME in their field
▸ Manual testing is still very important
▸ Not everyone wants to be an automation engineer
▸ Change is scary

8. THE ABRIDGED
HISTORY OF JENNY
WHO ARE YOU
@jennydoesthings

9. I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M
DOING.
Dogs on the Internet. Also Jenny Bramble
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

10. THE ABRIDGED
HISTORY OF JENNY
WHO ARE YOU
@jennydoesthings

11. EXPECTATIONS
FIRST THINGS FIRST
@jennydoesthings

12. GET OUT IN FRONT
EXPECTATIONS
@jennydoesthings

13. PERCEPTION OF
ABILITY
EXPECTATIONS
@jennydoesthings

14. I DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS SUPPOSED TO
KNOW EVERYTHING BY MY SECOND RODEO.
SEEMS LIKE A LOW NUMBER OF RODEOS.
The Internet
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

15. RESPECT THE
MANUAL
ADJUSTMENT
@jennydoesthings

16. RESET YOUR
MINDSET
ADJUSTMENT
@jennydoesthings

17. LOSE YOUR FEAR OF NOT
BEING ‘TECHNICAL ENOUGH’.
Lisa Crispin, Janet Gregory
Authors of Agile Testing, personal heroines
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

18. PERCEPTION OF
VELOCITY
EXPECTATIONS
@jennydoesthings

19. MA’AM, DO YOU KNOW HOW
FAST YOU WERE GOING?
Officer Howard
Wilmington, NC Police Department
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

20. VELOCITY IS NOT
OBJECTIVE
ADJUSTMENT
@jennydoesthings

21. PERCEPTION OF
SUCCESS
EXPECTATIONS
@jennydoesthings

22. IF YOU LOOKS CLOSELY, MOST
OVERNIGHT SUCCESSES TOOK
A LONG TIME.
Steve Jobs
Apple founder, enjoys turtlenecks
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

23. DEFINE YOUR
SUCCESS METRICS
ADJUSTMENT
@jennydoesthings

24. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
SUCCESS METRICS
▸ Everyone on the team put in a PR
▸ Golden Path is automated
▸ We can do x, y, and z
▸ There are 15+ tests
▸ We got tests running in CI
▸ No one cried this week

25. DEFINE YOUR
SUCCESS METRICS
ADJUSTMENT
@jennydoesthings

26. FRAMEWORK FOR
SUCCESS
WHERE DO I EVEN
START
@jennydoesthings

27. WHAT DO YOU
KNOW?
FRAMEWORK FOR
SUCCESS
@jennydoesthings

28. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
▸ Remember this is a skill built on top of your existing skills, not starting
form zero.
▸ You don’t just drop your manual skillset wholesale to pick up
automation
▸ Everything you’ve done in your past is a stepping stone to making
automation better
▸ How to use tools and language
▸ Logic
▸ Ability to learn

29. TESTERS HOLD THE MENTAL
MODEL OF THE SYSTEM IN
THEIR MINDS.
Jasmin Smith
Tester, speaker, good human
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

30. WHAT DO YOU
NEED TO KNOW?
FRAMEWORK FOR
SUCCESS
@jennydoesthings

31. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
▸ Learn to code; don’t ‘learn to automate’
▸ Learn the software development lifecycle at your company
▸ Learn Git or whichever versioning tool your company uses
▸ Learn your IDE
▸ And remember…

32. AUTOMATION CODE IS
PRODUCTION CODE.
Paul Grizzaffi,
Automation engineer, metal head
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

33. LEARNING
FRAMEWORK FOR
SUCCESS
@jennydoesthings

34. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS - LEARNING
▸ FIND A MENTOR.
▸ Pairing with devs and testers
▸ Dedicated time for PRs, help, and other tasks
▸ Example automation projects
▸ Coursework
▸ Games

35. PRACTICE MAKES
PERMANENT.
Sheila Dacus
My piano teacher when I was 12
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

36. FACE CHALLENGES
YOU MEAN WE’RE NOT
DONE YET??
@jennydoesthings

37. DE-PRIORITIZED
CHALLENGES
@jennydoesthings

38. TRY NOT TO BECOME A
[HUMAN] OF SUCCESS.
RATHER, BECOME A [HUMAN]
OF VALUE.
Albert Einstein
Smart guy, gravity connoisseur
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

39. MAKE AUTOMATION
INVALUABLE
MEET IT
@jennydoesthings

40. AUTOMATION IS
JUST ANOTHER TOOL
MEET IT
@jennydoesthings

41. BUT I DON’T
WANNA
CHALLENGES
@jennydoesthings

42. TOUGH LUCK.
Steve Gibson
QA Manager, part time motivational speaker
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

43. WHOLE TEAM
APPROACH
MEET IT
@jennydoesthings

44. AUTOMATION IS SCARY. WORK TO GET
YOUR WHOLE TEAM ENGAGED RATHER
THAN SPECIFICALLY TO BECOME A TEST
AUTOMATION ENGINEER.
Lisa Crispin
@JENNYDOESTHINGS

45. PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT MEANS
CHANGE
MEET IT
@jennydoesthings

46. PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT MEANS
CHANGE
MEET IT
@jennydoesthings

47. WIN
….
@jennydoesthings

48. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
THE PLAN
▸ Set Expectations
▸ Respect the manual tester
▸ Reset your mindset
▸ Velocity is not objective
▸ Define your success metrics
▸ Create Your Framework for Success
▸ What do you know?
▸ What do you need to know?
▸ Learn how you learn
▸ Face Challenges
▸ Make automation invaluable
▸ Realize automation is just another tool
▸ Embrace a whole team approach
▸ Accept that professional development means
change

49. BUILDING AUTOMATION ENGINEERS
FROM SCRATCH
@jennydoesthings

50. ANY QUESTIONS?
DERP
@jennydoesthings

51. @JENNYDOESTHINGS
FIND ME ONLINE!
▸ jenny.bramble@gmail.com
▸ http://twitter.com/jennydoesthings
▸ https://linkedin.com/in/
jennybramble
▸ http://jennydoesthings.com
▸ Willowtree!

53. IT’S STORY TIME!
Me, probably
@JENNYDOESTHINGS