Introduction

In January, Nethma Wimalasuriya and Fathima Jamal-Deen had the opportunity to visit Shooters Hill Sixth Form College to give a presentation to students about our role as SDET consultants. The goal was to introduce them to software testing, explain what we do daily, and give them a hands-on experience with an exercise that simulated real-life testing scenarios.

The main theme of our presentation was to show them what an SDET does, how we work with clients to help improve software quality, and what a career as an SDET looks like. We wanted to demonstrate that the tech industry is accessible to anyone, regardless of their educational background or experience.

SDETs beware, our friendly Copilot X might be eyeing our jobs – really?

To set the context, for nearly two decades I have been working for nFocus as a consultant that specialises in technical testing. A large part of that role is writing automated tests, including UI automation which can be particularly difficult (to do well). Essentially, I program a robot to perform the actions of users to produce an efficient and repeatable method of test execution. I’ve worked on everything from writing automated tests for scientific instruments, mobile test automation from its infancy through to many other systems I’m not at liberty to disclose. 😉

Synopsis

This will be a comprehensive guide to helping you minimise the frequency of maintenance when it comes to your automated test scripts. This should also be useful for those familiar with writing automated testing code.

Change management affects how we maintain our tests. In the context of manual testing, it's updating test cases, test steps, and expected results (also test suites). However, for automated tests, this is in the form of updating code or updating data.

This repeats every cycle and varies in size; the number of changes needed therefore should be both minimised and clear. I must add that I’m only a junior SDET and that much of this knowledge is work-in-progress for me; these are my experiences and opinions.

Facing First-Day Anxieties

“Starting to get a bit anxious now... One minute till my first meeting starts. What do I say? Do I need to say anything? What happens if I mess up? On my first day!? This is stressful. I’ve got to do this every day.”

These thoughts raced through my mind on the first day with my first ever client, after completing the SDET Academy. Anxiety was at an all-time high, and not knowing entirely what was going to happen on the other side of that “Join Meeting” button definitely didn’t help.

Tackling Client Projects with Confidence

Hello, I’m Harry! This is the second part of my blog on my experiences and lessons I have learnt on how to feel more settled when working on a new project. In the previous blog, I covered the steps I take to ensure that I’m on a good footing when I start on any new project.

In this blog, I will be going over some things that I have done not only at the start of my time with the client but later as well. It’s my hope that with these two blogs I’ll share with you how I grew more confident and lessons that I applied to create better tests more efficiently!

Introduction: Harry Williams 

Hi! I’m Harry, I’m a first-class degree graduate in computer science and have been working as a junior SDET consultant at nFocus for just over 2 years! Throughout those years, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time from the SDET Academy to working with various clients in different sectors of industry. I’ve truly been able to build and improve on the skills that I learnt during university, as well as learn how IT works in the real business world. Software Development Engineer in Test Remote

Introduction: Peter Deng - SDET Consultant 

My colleague Peter, a CompSci graduate recruited through the successful SDET Academy scheme, and I, a long-serving test consultant, wanted to compare and share our experiences with building client relationships. As test consultants, we work closely with clients across many different sectors for weeks, months, or years, adapting to new systems and delivering quality assurance services. We have both learned that delays in connecting with clients can be as impactful to a project's delivery as scope and code changes. 

Creating Effective and Maintainable Test Scripts

In my career as a tester to test manager, mastering the art of writing maintainable test scripts has been crucial for ensuring long-term project success. When developing a test plan, it’s essential to consider various types of tests, including functional testing, integration testing, and performance testing, to ensure comprehensive test coverage.

Overcoming Real-World Testing Scenarios, Inspired by the Popular Award-Winning Movie The Maze Runner

Did you know that the storytelling technique is known to be one of the most effective teaching strategies?

According to an experiment conducted by Stanford University, a story is 13 times more memorable than a statistic. 

This blog explores the automation tool Playwright through the eyes of The Maze Runner, taking you on a journey within its dystopian world. It will examine the characters' challenges within the maze, drawing a parallel to Playwright and how it benefits test automation. By doing so, the blog will highlight Playwright's resourcefulness, which mirrors the narrative within The Maze Runner.

How to Be an Advanced Test Analyst in One Day: Peter Deng 

My name is Peter Deng, and I am a SDET consultant at nFocus, where I have been working for just over two and a half years. For the first two years of my work, I was a graduate student going into nFocus’ SDET academy, trained under an instructor in software testing, agile, and automation.

In that time, I undertook two tests with ISTQB, the board for certified testers, and achieved an average of 90% across both, passing with flying colours. After working for a client for two years, it was time for more training. Therefore, it made sense that the next step for me was to take the Advanced Test Analyst course. Read on as I explain my experiences and tips for future test takers, either for ATA or for any other ISTQB exam.