When I work in test automation, I always seek the most simple solution that will work for the task at hand. Extreme Programming’s STTCPW (simplest thing that can possibly work) and YAGNI (you aren’t going to need it) are principles I’ve applied to test automation. Occam’s Razor is a principle that can be interpreted as having the same meaning as STTCPW. Simple tests are something I value because I don’t:

• Want complex test code that can be a source for bugs
• Have a lot of time for maintenance
• Wish to have tests I can’t throw away easily

Recently, while automating a complex functional test for a tester, I ran into a difficult problem. I was retro-fitting a test into a framework and I couldn’t figure out how to translate the model into automated test code. I struggled for a while, and paired with the tester (who was a non-programmer) and described my problem. I was thinking about a Decorator pattern, and data structures and algorithms, but couldn’t make this model fit. I was trying to get a simple solution together, but I had constraints.

The tester patiently listened as I explained my problem and diagrammed on a white board, explained what I was trying to do, and then when I was finished said: “Forgive me for stating the obvious…” and paused. I said “What may be obvious to you may be something I haven’t considered, please continue.” The tester explained to me that I had already created that model when I had automated test data generation, and asked why I couldn’t re-use it? They were right on the money. The solution didn’t involve any design patterns or clever solutions, I just had to go grab the data from a different area of the test. The solution was sitting right there in front of me, but I was looking at the problem in the wrong way.

Non-programming testers can offer a lot to development efforts. Their minds are not cluttered with design patterns, xUnit frameworks, data structures and algorithms which allows them to see things in a different way. When I’m up to my eyeballs in code, I sometimes stop thinking like a tester. In spite of my wish to get a simple design, I had needlessly over complicated my automated test development. So much for my attempt to apply Occam’s Razor – I needed a tester to help me see the simple solution. When I’m a tester working in test automation, I sometimes lose that “tester’s perspective”. Collaboration is key, and also helps me when I’m not particularly sharp.