{"id":9243,"date":"2017-06-07T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T06:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/abstracta.us\/?p=9243"},"modified":"2025-05-05T21:20:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:20:50","slug":"dont-try-tell-can-automate-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/dont-try-tell-can-automate-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Try to Tell Me You Can Automate the Testing!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- Go to www.addthis.com\/dashboard to customize your tools --><script src=\"\/\/s7.addthis.com\/js\/300\/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-58d80a50fc4f926d\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #333333;\">Michael Bolton\u2019s rap teaches us it\u2019s automated checking, not testing<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, you say you can automate testing? Michael Bolton, a creator of Rapid Software Testing, would tell you that you\u2019re wrong. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We were lucky enough to host Bolton at this year\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/testinguy-2017-michael-bolton-week-pure-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TestingUy<\/a>, the largest software testing conference in Latin America, in which he rapped about the misnomer of &#8220;test automation&#8221; during his awe-inspiring keynote speech in the Antel Tower in <a href=\"http:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/uruguay-best-hub-software-qa-engineers-latin-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Montevideo<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/abstracta.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Foto-1236-min.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9245 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/abstracta.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Foto-1236-min-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Bolton rap\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To understand why he asserts that testing cannot be automated, you have to know these important definitions that he crafted with James Bach:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b><i>Testing<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the process of evaluating a product by learning about it through exploration and experimentation, which includes to some degree: questioning, study, modeling, observation, inference, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em><b>Checking<\/b><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the process of making evaluations by applying algorithmic decision rules to specific observations of a product<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the two explain in this famous <a href=\"http:\/\/www.satisfice.com\/blog\/archives\/856\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blog post<\/a>,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0an implication of these definitions of testing and checking is that: <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Checking is a process that can, in principle be performed by a tool instead of a human (automated), whereas testing can only be <i>supported<\/i> by tools (not automated). <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, as the two see it, all checking is testing, but not all testing is checking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kapeesh?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Didn\u2019t get to see the keynote? Well, Michael Bolton was kind enough to pass us along the lyrics to share with the community and we also have an audio recording of him rapping! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read the lyrics below to know <\/span><b>why we do not dare utter the words: automated testing anymore. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Although, you may still hear us call it that from time to time, as it\u2019s still a pervasive term in the industry)!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Michael_Boltons_Original_Testing_Rap\"><\/span>Michael Bolton&#8217;s Original Testing Rap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: left;\">Michael Bolton&#8217;s rap lyrics as of June 3, 2017 (lyrics may change over time)*:<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experimentation, learning, freestyle exploration<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">studying and modeling, conjecture, observation<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">test code development, task prioritization<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">checking out competitors, preparing simulations<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reconciling your testing with required regulations<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gathering, assessing, and applying information<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">deliberation, judgement, designing visualizations<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">setting up the lab to try complex configurations<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">working out the problems in a puzzling situation<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">finding ambiguity in a product specification<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trying to look beyond the predicted expectation<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that\u2019s because testing\u2019s all about investigation<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">questioning and learning-playful product interaction<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trying to keep your focus while you\u2019re managing distraction<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sensemaking, myth-breaking, decision making, no faking<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stressing out the product to discover where it\u2019s breaking<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refining test approaches through deliberate practice<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how could hackers hack this? don\u2019t give them access!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">working with the marketers to show the app\u2019s power<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">point to all the features try to finish in an hour<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So I shall socialize to promote collaboration<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">other folks can help me with my testing preparation<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">talking with the managers to learn what they require<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">testing for charisma\u2014that\u2019s what customers desire<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">refactoring at every step keeping things maintainable<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">let\u2019s get over overtime and make the pace sustainable<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">working with the marketers to show the app\u2019s power<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">point to all the features try to finish in an hour<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">selecting, configuring, and then applying tools<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">applying critical thinking confirmation is for fools<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pattern recognition, distributed cognition<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">helping shy colleagues get over inhibition<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">building coverage models, analyzing risk<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eliminating waste, trying to keep the pace brisk<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><del><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wrestling with problems in the setup of environments<\/span><\/i><\/del><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><del><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interviewing users to discover their requirements<\/span><\/i><\/del><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><del><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interrupted and disrupted \u2018cos the product\u2019s full of bugs<\/span><\/i><\/del><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><del><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the fellas who developed it must have been on drugs!<\/span><\/i><\/del><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to say this while I\u2019m in a rap rhythm<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a check\u2019s a part of testing encoded in algorithm<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">testing\u2019s much more than automated checks and test cases<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">human variation puts the product through its paces<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">use the tools powerfully, that\u2019s what I\u2019m suggesting<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>but don&#8217;t try to tell me you ca automate the testing!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To clarify, these are the lyrics that we received from him after the event. Some appear crossed out because he didn\u2019t actually rap those verses for us on this particular occasion. Nevertheless, they are worth sharing! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What a delight it was to watch Bolton\u2019s keynote! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let us know, do you agree with his testing philosophy?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recommended_for_You\"><\/span><strong>Recommended for You<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/testinguy-2017-michael-bolton-week-pure-testing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TestingUY 2017 with Michael Bolton, A Week of Pure Testing<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/abstracta.us\/blog\/software-testing\/trump-administration-mean-outsourcing-qa\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Does the Trump Administration Mean for Outsourcing QA?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Bolton\u2019s rap teaches us it\u2019s automated checking, not testing So, you say you can automate testing? Michael Bolton, a creator of Rapid Software Testing, would tell you that you\u2019re wrong. We were lucky enough to host Bolton at this year\u2019s TestingUy, the largest software&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[210,207,180],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.0.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Don\u2019t Try to Tell Me You Can Automate the Testing! | Abstracta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Michael Bolton\u2019s rap teaches us it\u2019s automated checking, not testing. So, you say you can automate testing? Some testing experts would disagree. 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