Testμ 2023: Highlights From Day 1

Welcome Note – Joe Colantonio, Founder, TestGuild

Joe Colantonio is a distinguished figure in software testing and automation with over 25 years of experience. As the Founder of TestGuild, he’s a catalyst for community-driven excellence in testing. With a passion for sharing insights, Joe is a sought-after speaker, educator, and mentor.

The event unfolds with a captivating array of sessions infused with awesomeness, innovation, and collaboration. The substantial turnout today stands as a testament to the robust testing community we all belong to. Sessions spanning AI, automation, quality assurance, and more await you this year. Envision captivating dialogues, immersive workshops, and insights from industry titans igniting your testing fervor.

The contests, certification marathons, and #TestMu AIYourApps challenges were compelling opportunities to showcase your abilities and gain prominence in this dynamic community.

Let’s take a quick glimpse at the sessions that took place on Day 1:

Keynotes: The Lambdas in Testing and Where They Should Head to in 2025 – A Vision by Pradeep Soundararajan

The Lambdas in Testing 2025 – A Vision” delves into the connection between lambda and feedback in testing, drawing parallels with wavelengths. Testing is vital for prompt product feedback. Over the last decade, feedback loop wavelengths have rapidly shortened – from monthly to daily releases – enabling higher frequencies. In 2023, high-frequency releases are theoretically achievable.

Key Takeaways

• How much more can lambdas reduce to enable higher frequency?
• What’s the ideal lambda for different feedback loops?
• What lambda have we not focused on?
• Where should all these lambdas and frequencies head in 2025?
• Find answers in this keynote, a shared vision, discover the answers, and find a simplified way of rethinking testing.

Pradeep Soundararajan is an experienced professional who aids organizations in enhancing customer growth through effective testing practices, bug prevention, and managing technical debt.

Move Fast Build Things… Safely! by Mohammed Aboullaite

The pursuit of speed and innovation often clashes with security and reliability concerns. This conflict can lead to challenges and risks like skipped process gates and inadequate testing. Contrarily, Formula 1 maintains high speed and safety standards. Exploring these principles, this talk examined how Formula 1’s approach can guide the design, architecture, shipping, and security of systems, offering valuable lessons for balancing speed and safety.

Key Takeaways

• Importance of having a trusted and adversarial CI/CD pipeline
• Security patterns: Least privileged principal, defense in depth, Zero trust
• Resiliency patterns: Micro-segmentation, Anti-overload patterns
• Monitoring and alerting

Mohammed Aboullaite is one of Google’s developer experts in the cloud and works @Spotify as a Backend Engineer.

WebDriver Bidi: Revolutionizing Cross-Browser Automation by Sri Harsha

WebDriver BiDi: A cutting-edge browser automation protocol fusing WebDriver ‘Classic’ and CDP. It offers bi-directional communication for speed and control. This standard transforms browser automation, facilitating smooth framework-browser interaction. Discover the future of automation as Sri Harsha introduced WebDriver BiDi and its integration with Selenium and WebdriverIO in this talk.

Key Takeaways

• Introduces the new automation protocol standard
• Attendees will learn about WebDriver BiDi, how it can be used in Selenium/WebdriverIO
• Advantages of BiDi

Sri Harsha is a seasoned software professional with expertise in testing, focusing on utilizing tools such as Selenium and WebdriverIO.

AMA: Decoding the Future of QA and SDET Roles in the Tech-Driven World by Babu Manickam

In a rapidly evolving tech landscape shaped by AI, Machine Learning, and Cloud Computing, the realms of Quality Assurance (QA) and Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) roles are undergoing both exhilarating opportunities and formidable challenges. Babu’s session delved into the nexus of technology trends and the transforming roles of QA experts and SDETs.

From traditional testing to AI-powered frameworks, isolated quality checks to unified DevOps workflows, and manual bug hunting to intelligent automation, Babu navigated this journey. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a budding enthusiast, this session offers the insights to harmonize your career with these technological symphonies.

Key Takeaways

• Rapid exploration of how emerging technologies (AI, ML, Cloud, etc.) impact QA and SDET roles.
• Analysis of the shift from traditional to modern, automated, and AI-enabled testing methods.
• Skill matrix guide: Essential technical and cognitive skills for next-gen QA professionals and SDETs.
• Discovery of innovative career paths, growth prospects, and emerging roles in QA/SDET.
• Strategies for continuous learning and adapting to tech advancements.
• Future prediction: Anticipating trends shaping QA/SDET roles in the next decade.

With 25 years, Babu Manickam has deftly navigated the shift from a seasoned developer to a Master of Quality Engineering. A true ace of software testing, Babu has executed millions of tests across varied browsers, platforms, and cloud ecosystems.

Testing a Data Science Model by Laveena

In this enlightening session, Laveena Ramchandani took us on her journey of delving into data science model testing and contributing value to an unfamiliar field. Her experience aims to inspire testers to explore data science models.

The talk delved into the fundamentals of data science, emphasizing the pivotal role data plays in models. Helping you gain insights into training Data Science models with various personas in strategies to ensure accurate output results without compromising consumer benefits.

The session encapsulates the essence of ensuring model quality and instilling team confidence in the outcomes delivered to the business.

Key Takeaways

• Grasping the essentials of Data Science.
• Strategies for testing models effectively.
• Leveraging existing skills for data science testing.

Laveena Ramchandani is an enthusiastic Test Manager with nearly a decade of testing experience, constantly seeking knowledge sharing and learning. A community leader in data science testing and testing in general, Laveena’s digital presence has empowered numerous individuals to explore new testing dimensions.

Making Testing Fun with Playwright by Max Schmitt

Who says testing can’t be enjoyable? A compelling developer experience combined with powerful tools can make testing engaging and lead to enhanced code quality, time-saving for developers, and cost-efficiency for companies.

This session showcased the simplicity of kickstarting your journey with Playwright, exploring gems like the VS Code extension, locator picker for effective element identification, and codegen based on user interactions. Visualizing live traces of your tests while development ensures better confidence and facilitates seamless debugging, both locally and within CI pipelines.

Key Takeaways

• Discover Playwright’s suite of tools, including the VS Code extension, locator picker, codegen, and trace viewer for enriched testing experiences.

Max Schmitt, a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft, is a vital contributor to the Playwright team. With a fervor for Open Source and developer tooling, Max’s mission is to revolutionize end-to-end testing for web applications, streamlining setups, ensuring non-flaky executions, and bolstering maintainability. Join Max as he shares insights into making testing effective and enjoyable with Playwright.

Ensuring Quality in Data & AI: A Comprehensive Approach to Quality in the Age of Data & AI by Bharath Kumar

In the dynamic landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), guaranteeing the quality of AI systems has grown paramount. Traditional software quality assurance methodologies must evolve to address the distinctive challenges of AI. This session delved into the significance of quality assurance in Data & AI, spotlighting the contrasts between conventional software quality and its Data & AI counterpart. A comprehensive framework encompassing data quality, model quality, infrastructure quality, compliance and ethics, and data governance will be introduced alongside practical strategies and real-world examples.

Key Takeaways

• Grasp the distinct challenges of AI quality assurance.
• Acquire a comprehensive framework tailored for Data & AI quality assurance.
• Understand the evolving roles and skill sets demanded in Data & AI projects.
• Apply the framework’s principles to enhance your projects.

Bharath Kumar Hemachandran, a seasoned Quality Analyst and Principal Consultant at Thoughtworks boasts 16 years in the software industry, encompassing diverse roles from developer to IT head. Bharath’s passion lies in applying technology through a business lens to solve real-world problems. He dedicates his energy to exploring Generative AI in Software Development and impactful blogging.

Elevate your testing game: Building an Appium 2.0 Plugin Live! By Sri Krishna and Srinivasan Sekar

Appium 2.0 has revolutionized mobile and desktop application testing, boasting advanced features, stability, and flexibility. The session showcased the live creation of a custom Appium 2.0 plugin, highlighting how this framework can be extended for tailored testing needs while maintaining simplicity and effectiveness.

Key Takeaways

• Demystify Appium 2.0 plugin architecture and integration.
• Enhance Appium’s capabilities through personalized actions, commands, and integrations.
• Engage in real-time coding, delving into best practices and debugging techniques.
• Participate in interactive Q&A, delving into plugin nuances and development.

Sai Krishna is Principal Consultant at Thoughtworks with 12 years of experience and a rich background in building mobile app testing and automation framework. His contributions to Appium and his dedication to innovation mark his journey.

A Lead Consultant at Thoughtworks, Srinivasan Sekar is an ardent advocate of Open Source. An Appium Member and contributor to repositories like Selenium and Webdriver.io, he excels in microservices testing and building automation frameworks and has spoken at notable conferences, including SeleniumConf and AppiumConf.

A Workshop on “Speedup your App Development and Testing Journey with GitHub and HyperExecute”

Part 1: Workshop by Karan M.V. on Git, GitHub Actions, and GitHub Co-pilot: Explore the core aspects of Git, GitHub Actions, and GitHub Co-pilot in this engaging workshop led by Karan M.V. Discover key version-control features of Git, including staging, commits, remotes, and branching strategies. Learn about GitHub Actions’ automation capabilities, facilitating testing and comprehensive CI/CD pipelines within the GitHub ecosystem. Explore GitHub Co-pilot, an AI-powered pair programmer that accelerates coding by suggesting real-time code and functions.

Part 2: End-to-end Test Automation using GitHub Co-pilot and HyperExecute by Divya SK: Dive into Divya SK’s session, where the journey unfolds from code creation to automated testing with GitHub Co-pilot and HyperExecute. Witness the creation of an end-to-end workflow encompassing code, unit, and integration tests, followed by orchestration through GitHub Actions and execution via HyperExecute. This potent approach enables parallel execution across diverse environments, platforms, browsers, and devices.

Key Takeaways

• Master Git, GitHub Actions, and GitHub Co-pilot essentials.
• Unveil a holistic approach to end-to-end testing and automation.
• Harness the synergy of GitHub Co-pilot and HyperExecute for comprehensive testing.

Karan M.V. leads International Developer Relations at GitHub, fostering open-source growth and developer learning. He is an active developer who contributes to GitHub’s enhancement and speaks at various events.

Divya S.K. heads Microsoft Azure Core, Apps, and Digital Innovation Portfolio at Microsoft Technology Center. With over two decades of experience, she leads transformative technology adoption, AI initiatives, and solution architecture.

Testing Strategies for Micro-Frontends by Ioannis Papadakis

Dive into Micro-Frontends (MFE) architecture and explore integration and end-to-end testing strategies with modern tools like Cypress, RTL, Vite, and React. From establishing the foundational framework setup to a holistic flow explanation, this session offered insights into MFE testing. Discover how to merge code coverage metrics from RTL and Cypress for comprehensive insights.

Key Takeaways

• Learn how to test React MFEs using Cypress and RTL.
• Understand the advantages of Vite over Webpack and how to configure Cypress and RTL seamlessly.
• Discover code coverage blending techniques for combined insights from RTL and Cypress.

Ioannis Papadakis, with over 13 years of experience in QA engineering, is an ardent tech enthusiast. Passionate about agile methodologies and techniques in testing, he currently serves as the Director of QA at GWI, where he shapes and drives testing strategies for their market research platform. Ioannis thrives on knowledge sharing within the tech community to foster connectivity with experts in the field.

A Hybrid Approach to Performance Testing by Marie Cruz

Discover the holistic realm of web performance testing, focusing on front-end and back-end aspects in this illuminating session. Marie Cruz, a Developer Advocate at k6.io and Grafana Labs, takes you on a journey to understand the golden rule of web performance – the significant impact of front-end responsiveness. The talk emphasized the importance of a hybrid approach for comprehensive performance testing.

Learn the distinctions between protocol-level and browser-level tools for performance testing and why the hybrid strategy is pivotal. Marie introduced the power of k6, showcasing its capability to execute both protocol-level and browser-level tests. By the end of this session, you’ll gain valuable insights into optimizing front-end and back-end performance testing to enhance your testing strategies.

Key Takeaways

• Grasp the golden rule of web performance.
• Distinguish between protocol-level and browser-level tools for performance testing.
• Recognize the significance of a hybrid front-end and back-end performance testing approach.
• Learn how to conduct both protocol-level and browser-level tests using k6.

Marie Cruz, a Developer Advocate at k6.io and Grafana Labs, is a tech blogger at testingwithmarie.com and a passionate accessibility advocate. She is also an online course instructor at the Ministry of Testing and Test Automation University, showcasing her commitment to knowledge sharing and enhancing the testing community.

Leadership is Everyone’s Responsibility by Anne-Marie Charrett

In modern software engineering, the mantra “Quality is everyone’s responsibility” holds true. This concept extends beyond development teams and encompasses leaders as well. Quality and leadership are intertwined, crucial for preventing quality from being overshadowed by rapid feature delivery. However, it requires a specific kind of leadership – one that embraces ambiguity and adapts to constant change and complexity. This keynote explored a future where leadership is collectively owned, transcending roles and titles.

Key Takeaways

• Creating conducive environments for personal growth is a central aspect of leadership.
• Leadership is a responsibility shared by all, regardless of their roles.
• Embracing change as an ongoing process rather than a singular event.
• Authenticity is fundamental to effective leadership.

With over two decades in software engineering, Anne-Marie Charrett is known for her technical prowess and leadership. A speaker, author, and trainer, her “Quality Coach Book” demonstrates her thought leadership. The EuroSTAR Software Testing Excellence Award winner of 2022, she’s shaped future engineers as a former lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney. Co-founding Speak Easy Diversity, she’s driven inclusivity in tech conferences. Anne-Marie’s leadership, expertise, and commitment to diversity inspire the industry.

Wrapping Up of Day 1!

A heartfelt thank you to our esteemed speakers whose insights shaped a successful Day 1 of TestMu 2023. The event was meticulously organized, featuring experienced speakers from across the globe.

As we conclude today, we invite you to join us for Day 2, where productivity and innovation continue to flourish. Let’s explore fresh testing patterns, engage with the community, and define the testing future together.

To those who’ve been part of our journey since Test Conference 2022, your support is invaluable. Let’s pursue a bug-free life collectively. Embrace the testing revolution by registering for TestMu AI TestMu Conference 2023.

Be a trailblazer in shaping the testing landscape. Your participation is crucial as we march forward, navigating technological currents and driving change. Thank you for being part of this remarkable event. Looking forward to an exceptional Day 2!

Stay curious, stay engaged, and embrace the future of testing!