When "The Paperless Office" was mentioned at the conference it hurt to hear everyone laughing knowingly at what a failure it is. I wonder if people making automation to replace testing feel that way yet. I got to thinking of how they compare and why it is folly to dismiss them wholesale. Far be it from me to point out the ways that automation is useful, but when it is done responsibly it has great purpose and potential.

1. The goal should be go as "paperless" or as "automated" as makes sense in the context.

While our office isn't entirely paperless, things have changed a great deal in the last 10 years. Insurance forms are done online. Taxes are done in PDF format. PDF format was created with the understanding that the ability to print is IMPORTANT. That's what makes it such a great technology. I think I was the only person who freaked out about the first version of Acrobat. My immediate reaction was "It looks exactly the same on ANY platform? Imagine the potential!" The fact that it doesn't make sense to go entirely paperless doesn't mean that it isn't worthwhile to try. Any progress we make saves money, time, mess, and trees.

BVTs need to be automated so that they can cover more builds in more languages at any time of the day to speed up testing. It just makes sense. Why should one person be mindlessly running the same basic tests on every build and holding people up to start real testing? I really think there should be a rule that until your BVTs are good enough to catch 100% of untestable builds without human intervention that you can't move on to automate anything else. This is the single best use of automation that I've seen and until it is good, time of humans is being wasted. Any software company that has fully solved the time wasting problem of bad builds from code checkin out to final media without human intervention, without false pass/fail results can be very proud even if they don't automate anything else.

2. Even as people knowingly laugh at failure, change is happening. Results are being enjoyed.

Almost all offices are more paperless than they were and almost all companies have more working and successful automation than 5 years ago even if it falls short of the paperless and fully automated world some people imagined.

So, welcome to the paper reduced and automation enhanced world already in progress.


On a very personal note-Long, about surgery, healthcare, and other non-testing stuff:
I am trying to think of how to solve my own paper issue at home. My medical paperwork is an absolute mess. I can't find what I need. My healthcare account card was suspended because I couldn't find the receipts they wanted while I was recovering from the worst surgery ever. I have decided this year to give up on having a managed healthcare account which is the most scathing review I could possibly give the company who "manages" my health care account. I know no other person who needs a medical account more than I do, but they make it so difficult that it isn't worth my time. Instead, this year, I intend to pay for what I need, collect every receipt, scan it in, and deliver it to my tax guy at the end of the year for a tax discount. I tallied up the time I spend trying to jump through hoops, find claim forms and come up with my own medical codes to file claims, calling to substantiate that NO, this wasn't due to and injury, same spine problem. I spend HOURS every month on this task and now I have to get all of my prescriptions rewritten for mail order to avoid paying $260 a month more in copays in 2009. I need a paperless system so that I can search by date, by place, by doctor. For my own sanity, I need a digital solution. I can't deal with all of these receipts while also managing my health. I already have 3 doctor's appointments per month, 2 hours of Physical Therapy appointments per week, 30 minutes of exercise appointments each day just to stay functional. Because of this I took today off of work. I put off going to the dentist and getting my vision checked for an entire year because I'd already missed so much time on my project due to other health problems.

I have to help myself, so for that reason I have taken today off of work to get my affairs in better order. First, I'm going to the dentist, getting my blood work checked, and I'm having surgery next Wednesday on my good leg, so I will be gone for awhile. I forgot to mention that almost a year ago I stubbed my toe so hard that I tore the tendon out of my own toe and still walked on it for 6 months before getting it checked out. Compared to the nerve pain it barely hurts although it does make it hard to walk. I am having my toe surgically fused next Wednesday so it will stop swelling and I can walk more normally. Everyone knows how amused I am by robots, so now I'll be slightly a cyborg (we can rebuild her). If only they could replace my spine it would be amazing! It's going to be a riot to see how I walk with partial nerve function in the right leg and a healing "boot" on the left foot. It gives gimpy a whole new meaning.

Anyhow, I am coming up with a plan so that I don't end up compromising my health during my next project. I love working on software. I don't want to end up having to change careers to an industry where it is easier to work part time. Part of how I survive is that I've trained myself not to panic. I have divided up my brain so that I can focus when in pain and talk to people. We all have pain at some point in our lives. I just have practice living with it and accepting it sooner than most other people do. It seems that this year I've pushed it past it's useful and safe limits, however. By ignoring an injury that needed help and by staying on a medication with a 23 day migraine side effect until I ended up in the hospital needing an $8000 medication, and by losing 15lbs unintentionally so that I have no buffer if I do get sick, I have put off reaching out for help too long in my desire to keep living a normal life despite physical challenges.

I am very thankful that I have the means to pay for the medical care that I need and that I have insurance and a great support system. That said, I am sad and worried for those in our country and around the world who do not have access to health care. Until each person who is sick is able to get healthcare and medication, I'll be voting with them at every turn. Healthcare is not a privilege in my world. It's a basic necessity. Those with great need currently have no voice. It impacts all of us and lessens us as a group when the weakest are blamed, ignored, and rebuked. I know all too well how easily I could become bankrupt due to my health. Last year even with insurance I spent over $20k on healthcare. Without insurance I would have lost my home.