1. 💎 AI Replacement Ranking: Software Roles Most at Risk — #4 Software Architects

For most software development projects, high team productivity can reduce the need for software architects. As a result, some architects may, willingly or unwillingly, resist productivity improvements

In this series:

• Introduction
• #1 — Agile Coaches & Scrum Masters 😭 💎
• #2 — Manual QA Testers (many but not all) & Fake Test Automation Engineers
• Behind every revolution, automation is a key driving force.
• #3 — Business Analysts ⭐
• #4 — Software Architects 💎
• …

Many may be surprised that I put Software Architects ahead of Junior Software Developers in terms of roles most likely to be replaced by AI.

It is not really by replacing, rather, if AI hypes turn to be true, the role of software architects will be more clearly; better without it.

…

2. 💎 Agile Processes/Practices Often Done Wrong. Part 4C: Digital ‘Agile Board’/User Stories 👎🏼 — Practical Solutions

A couple of practical solutions to ease the pain.

I share my view of “Agile Processes/Practices Often Done Wrong” in this series:

• Part 1: Introduction
• …
• Part 4: Digital ‘Agile Board’/User Stories 👎🏼
  - Becoming a digital wall that Agile creators specifically wanted to avoid
  - How come? ⭐
  - Practical Solutions 💎

Given that user stories and Agile boards in digital form can undermine real Agile, how can IT executives stop teams from using them?

Frankly, it is not easy.

…

3. 💎 AI Replacement Ranking: Software Roles Most at Risk — #5 Project Managers

Fewer people to manage means less “man”agement.

In this series:

• Introduction
• #1 — Agile Coaches & Scrum Masters 😭 💎
• #2 — Manual QA Testers (many but not all) & Fake Test Automation Engineers
• Behind every revolution, automation is a key driving force.
• #3 — Business Analysts ⭐
• #4 — Software Architects 💎
• #5 — Project Managers 💎
• …

I once watched a cartoon where a kid wanted to become a manager but was rejected because the role was “Man-ager,” not “Kid-ager.”

…

4. 💠 Why IT Job Market is Bad Right Now? Part-1: Before AI

Exploring Job Market Cycles and Key Influencing Factors.

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5. 💎 Why the IT Job Market is Bad Right Now? Part-2: The Fear That AI Will Replace Programmers

Whether AI coding ultimately succeeds or fails, many programming jobs are likely to be cut over the upcoming years. If that worries you, read on …

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6. 💠 Why the IT Job Market is Bad Right Now? Part-3: Advice

Yes, AI will disrupt the software development industry. However, every crisis creates opportunities. Those who keep learning, embrace change, and adapt will be the ones who come out ahead.

…

The new content in the 4th edition.

I’m excited to announce my new book, “Practical Web Test Automation with Selenium WebDriver and RSpec”, 4th edition.

Existing Leanpub customers will receive this new edition for free as an update.

This book is also included as a complimentary eBook in the annual subscription for paid subscribers to this newsletter.

In this series:

• Part 1: What Has Not Changed?
• Part 2: What’s New in the 4th Edition?
• Part 3: The primary platform used in the book is now macOS
• Part 4: FAQ

In Part 1, I briefly discussed what has remained unchanged across the book’s four editions over 17 years. Now, let’s explore what’s new in the 4th edition.

1. 25% more content

3rd edition:

4th edition:

2. Improved writing

After publishing around 1,000 blog articles, I think I have become a much better writer. Looking back, I can see how much my writing has improved over the past decade.

3. Chapter Reorganisation

Several chapters have been reorganised to give the book a clearer structure. Topics already covered in my other books, such as Continuous Testing, receive less attention here. Instead, I focus more deeply on the practical steps readers need to get started.

For example, the fourth edition introduces dedicated chapters on:

• Continuous Testing
  Set up a Continuous Testing server to execute your automated test suite quickly and efficiently.
• Selenium WebDriver Syntax in Nutshell
• My view of AI in Test Automation
• Case Study: The WhenWise Test Suite
  The WhenWise suite contains 600+ user-story-level tests built with Selenium WebDriver and RSpec. Developed over more than eight years and still actively maintained, the suite follows the same project structure and development approach explained in this book. This real-world case study gives readers a taste of production-grade web test automation and the confidence to apply these practices to their own projects.
  To help readers further develop their test automation skills, I offer a free practice site: WhenWise Sandbox.

4. Improved Formatting and Visual Presentation

Astute readers may notice that the page count has increased by around 50%. This is largely due to changes in the book’s formatting rather than a proportional increase in content.

Thanks to Leanpub’s newer styling options, the book now has a cleaner layout and a more polished visual presentation, making it easier and more enjoyable to read.

And the screenshots taken on macOS look clean and better.

5. Removed the parts where my predictions have become reality.

Since the second edition, I have made several predictions that have gradually proved correct.

In this new edition, I have removed topics that are no longer as relevant:

• Selenium IDE: pretty much abandoned.
• Selenium Grid: rarely mentioned.
• Cucumber: Has proven to be a poor choice for test automation.
• ⭐ SmartBear’s Attempt to Commercialize Cucumber for E2E test automation Failed Badly
• Tricentis Gave Up on SpecFlow. Another Prediction of Mine Proven Correct

The platform used in this edition has also switched to macOS. See Part 3 for the reasons behind this decision.

Related reading:

• My eBooks:
  - Practical Web Test Automation with Selenium WebDriver
  - Practical Continuous Testing: make Agile/DevOps real
  - End-to-end Test Automation Anti-Patterns
  - CI/CD Anti-Patterns
  Annual paid subscribers to this newsletter receive, along with other benefits, a complimentary eBook every year.