Automated Testing in Agile Environments

Recently I had an opportunity to present at an "Evening Talk" hosted by Hitachi Consulting Hyderabad under the banner of STeP-IN forum and boy was it fun !!

I am attaching a link to the presentation I used and hope it is informative as I am sure that it is hilarious !! (Must watch the ppt in presentation mode and NOT in slide mode ...)

Automated Testing in Agile Environment

“Medals” do not make “Heroes” … “Passion” does ..

This is the second time I am writing about a movie that has profoundly impacted me by the string message that it conveys. (See my previous blog Always stand by your wingman) .

I recently watched an animation movie - "Wreck it Ralph". Some of must be thinking what is a grown up man seeing an animation movie that too one about arcade games :) .Well in my defense I am really a die-hard fan of this genre and the reviews about the movie were very encouraging !!.

This movie is the story of an arcade game villain “Ralph” who is tired of being the bad guy.... He is hungry for love, affection, respect and would not want other game characters not to faint when they see him …. Atleast for once !!

During the course of movie Ralph decides that all he needs to steal a “Gold Medal” from another arcade game so that he earns the respect of all the game characters in “Wreck it Ralph” (Whom believe that “Bad Guys” do not get a “Gold Medal” and hence no love !!). This where his journey starts which is full of fun, laughter and most importantly his self-realization that one does not need a "Medal" to be a hero....

This made me think of the many time in my life when I have felt sad, frustrated, lost in despair for not being appreciated or rewarded enough. I believe that all of us go through such challenging phases in our life and what I learnt from this movie is that sometimes one has to cherish the smaller things in life such as the day to day support of family and fellow colleagues. They may not always say that we did a great job but there are always subtle hints that things are good like the occasional dessert at home or the pat on shoulder at office.

I do not believe that we should step out of the competition and just be content with what we have BUT what I do believe is that one should put his best efforts on the task at hand and not let a medal, promotion be the sole driving force for his day to day efforts. At the end of day if you go to bed with a smile on your face because you know that someone counted on you today and you did perform is priceless !!

This movie also had another great message that each of has a crucial role in the greater scheme of things in life . My role may seem less significant or glamorous than someone else on a given day but believe me when I say that "The minute you give up or even slag down the Titanic sinks !!" . The value of self-motivation is often understated and as a result sometimes we forget that deep down inside there is something more than awards, promotions or medals that drives us and this is our “Passion” for what we do.

Remember that each of us is a “Hero” every single day we turn up for work and give our best to our jobs.

I would leave you with one of the most debatable yet inspirational quotes I have come across ..

Success - the ability to move from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.  - Winston Churchill

Keeping up with the moving times …

Recently I was having a discussion with my wife over how fast things are changing around us.

We often find it difficult to keep up with the advancements in the field of technology or with the rapidly changing environment around us. Be it configuring your PDA as a hotspot or hoping to see a movie without pre-booking tickets a week in advance. I remember the fun times we used to have just driving to the Skyline or Anand theatre and getting tickets to see a movie. Gone are those times - most movie theatres in Hyderabad have been replaced by multiplex cinema halls requiring us to pre-book way in advance to reserve a seat. Come to think of it, there are so many instances where one can see a fast moving product, trend, or way of life being obsolete now:

1.       Audio Cassette à Audio CDs à USB pen drives hosting 1,000 songs

2.       CRT television sets à LCD TVs à LED TVs à 3D LED TVs

3.       STD/ISD à Landline phone à Mobile phone

4.       Tailor made clothes à Readymade clothes

5.       Cricket at nearby park à Cricket on PS3

6.       Zoo à Animal Planet

One can identify a million more examples. Some of the changes above are for the good, while some of them are not.

What we need to realize is that we indeed are the “Golden Generation” as we have been fortunate enough to have a rich cultural upbringing under the guidance of our parents. I often feel that the next generation (our kids) will never get to see a real lion unless they can fund a trip to Africa! The chances of our future generations spending time climbing trees or playing outdoors seem pretty slim too. Maybe we can act as bridge between the two generation islands (our parents à our kids) as both the parties have an entirely different view of the world and it is us who have seen and have been a part of the transformation so far.

Each of us has a great responsibility to ensure that we pass on the essence of life and cultural values to the next generation. Respect for elders, love for plants and animals, and spending time with family were less about laws for us but more of a gradual learning as we saw the same traits in our parents.

Change is inevitable but what we choose to bring with us and pass on to the next generation will always be our choice.

I cannot resist quoting the immortal dialogue from Spiderman…

“With Great Power comes Great Responsibility” ….. Hope we are all up for it!!

Always Stand by Your Wingman

Always Stand by Your Wingman

“Trust is the confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group. Team-mates are vulnerable with one another; they are confident that their respective vulnerabilities will not be used against them.”

- Patrick Lencioni

I recently watched a wonderful movie called Barfi! This movie had all the components that Indian mainstream movies often miss. It certainly qualifies to be categorized under the coveted genre of a commercial documentary (or docudrama). The movie tells the story of a deaf and dumb man who loves “to smile in the face of problems.”

One scene from the movie that depicted the true essence of trust among friends touched me. The scene shows Murphy (read “Barfi”) cutting a wooden electric pole and standing in front of it along with a friend as it falls a few inches away from his feet and crushes a glass bottle kept at the estimated point of impact. This was his way to measure the trust and the strength of the bond of friendship that he shares with a number of characters in the movie.

I was dumbstruck to see the ease with which the director has portrayed the real essence of friendship and the spirit of belief between the protagonists. 

“Always stand by your Wingman” — this was what my project manager told me on the first day of my job seven years ago and to this day it actively rings in my mind and remains one of my most significant lessons of life.

We often fail to acknowledge our team members and family members alike who have stood by us in the thick and thin of life. I do not recall a single day of my professional or personal life where I have not relied on one of my colleagues or family members to play a crucial role that would eventually decide the outcome of the task at hand.

I wonder if we’d ever find the time to “thank” these individuals for their faith in our abilities. 

So, the next time you are applauded for an accomplishment, remember to share your laurels with your pals, team members, or family members who encouraged and stood by you all the way.

Evolve or be Replaced

Evolve or be Replaced

Recently I visited my hometown to attend my sister's engagement function. Like any other outstation trip, I started packing my bags along with my favourite gadgets that I always carry with me. One of those was my camcorder. I could capture beautiful memories and probably capture the occasion on video.

As I started digging into my heap of electronic treasures and found my camcorder, I thought that a test run would be a good idea. I booted up the camcorder and shot a one-minute video of the interiors my house. Of course, the next logical step was to plug it into the television and analyse the video output ... I know that you cannot stop smiling right now and would have done the same at some point of time.

To my surprise, I found that although the video was pretty decent I could still see some pixilation on my LCD TV.  This wasn’t going to work. I needed to coax my wife into letting me buy a camcorder with better specifications. I began building a case by listing the pros and cons of this decision.  Then it dawned on me that my camera can take videos too! In fact, I remembered that it supports a video recording of 1280 * 720 pixels (in non-technical geek language that translates to "video quality on my camera should be superior to conventional cameras!"). As I tested the sample video using my camera, I realized that it had indeed outperformed my digital camcorder.

Then I realized: "Regardless of how good your product is and how niche your market solution is, there is always a competitor waiting to knock you down." In this case the digital camera — which is a relatively older product — has evolved to a point where it eliminated the need to own a digital camcorder; at least for the amateur user like me. In today's world with rapidly emerging technologies and swiftly evolving markets and customer groups, we always need to be on our toes and ensure that we do not rest on past laurels. We may be selling a product that has captured a niche space in the marketplace, but, before we know it, we could be blindsided by a superior product/service offering.

Staying ahead of the market isn’t easy. Our industry leaders ensure that we’re always operating one step ahead and this has served as a critical piece of our organization’s success. The idea of thinking ahead and being proactive should also apply to our own careers.  

By anticipating change and thinking differently, we can all become a force to reckon with.

I would leave you with two of my favorite quotes about competitive advantage and you would be surprised to see how such simple words carry such a strong message.

“Research your idea. See if there's a demand. A lot of people have great ideas, but they don't know if there's a need for it. You also have to research your competition.” - Magic Johnson, NBA All Star

"In a garage somewhere, an entrepreneur is forging a bullet with your company's name on it." - Gary Hamel, US academic, business writer, and consultant