Last week, the 13th edition of The Test Automation Days took place in de Doelen ICC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. CKC Seminars, initiator and organizer of this unique conference, looks back on a very successful edition. We are very proud to welcome (again) the highest number of attendees so far in the bustling city Rotterdam. Almost 200 attendees on the first day and over 350 attendees on the second day enjoyed the Test Automation Days. We would like to thank all speakers, Founding Partner Squerist, Chief Sponsor Valori, content partners, exhibition partners, attendees and communication partners who made this event possible.
This year’s theme is: Reframing Test Automation
The domain of test automation is part of a constantly evolving landscape and is something we are all aware of. During the preparation of Test Automation Days 2024, we were intrigued by how to navigate this dynamic environment. Now more than ever we need to ask ourselves a series of questions: How is artificial intelligence shaping our approach? How can we effectively manage the multitude of tools available? And what about the escalating complexity of IT systems due to the ubiquitous influence of digitalization on our daily activities? How can we provide valuable insights to improve the sustainability of IT systems? All these challenges have a profound impact on the practice of test automation and force us to rethink and reformulate our approach. A lot to learn and talk about during the days.
The attendees of the first day are challenged through learning by doing from world’s leading test automation experts. A masterclass about Cypress, a class regarding how to automate tests with a strategy or a journey with the serenity-BDD framework and Screenplay pattern are some of the topics who were covered during one of the three hour hands-on masterclasses. A couple of attendees were challenged during the day to build their own BDD Copilot with Playwright and some founded there challenge in building an effective quality gate in CI Pipelines.
The day ended with a drink where attendees met and talked about fun and leisure but also about their experiences of the first day of Test Automation Days 2024.
The second day was all about exchanging ideas and tips through keynote lectures, talks and presentations, all presented by test automation professionals from their own work experience.
Chairman of the day, Ard Kramer, kicked off, followed by stand-in keynote of Marcel Veselka. With his talk entitled Autonomous testing – Introduce testing bots & boots your efficiency, was he able to captivate and enthuse the audience by the start of the day. He gives us the journey from manual testing to autonomous testing were the computer has full control of the testing process including making decisions and carrying out all testing actions and were the human cannot intervene. Very interesting.
Paul Derckx, continues with the test automation journey of Philips. He shared the challenges they have faced, their learnings and the most recent change in their test automation strategy. The journey inside Philips started already in 2010 with the strategy to try and automate as many verification test cases as possible, but over the years they have learned a lot and there were several moments where they decided to changed the strategy for various reasons.
Katrina Clokie, all over from New Zealand, told us her personal inspiring story through her career path and her personal experiences of making the leap from testing to senior leadership. What skills do you have that you can reframe today that will support you in your leadership journey? She identifies how the skills she learned as a tester are reframed in her role as a C-level executive. Testing is a way for you to get into C-level roles. Main message; There is a path there if you want it. If you don’t take that space, no one will give it to you. Very inspiring.
During the closing keynote, the stage was for Jenny Bramble. She gave us a very energetic keynote, it was almost a speech about the golden age of testing and test automation. She believes that we are entering the golden age of testing and test automation. We have more tools and frameworks than ever before. We are finding new ways to engage with our testing every day. We are more respected as a discipline than ever before. So, what’s next? Her talk was about the meaning to be in the golden age and how we can take full advantage of our position.
During the parallel sessions best practices and insights are shared and topics like for example AI, Sustainability, E2E Testing, Cucumber and Chat GTP came up during the day. During the breaks there was an opportunity to meet other ‘peers’ and taste real Dutch delicacies such as ‘Stroopwafels’ ‘Broodje Kroket’ and ‘Bitterballen’.
We look forward to welcome you during the next edition on March 5 and 6, 2025!
Impression
Do you want to relive the atmosphere of the day? Or did you miss this edition of the conference and would you still like to get an impression? You will find an extensive impression here:
Do you have suggestions or ideas for next year (theme, speakers, etc.) or do you also want to be present as a partner? Please send an email to Joyca van Essen, joyca@ckc-seminars.nl or contact us on +31 (0) 40-2146200.