From strict banking compliance to smooth airline bookings. What stays the same, and what shifts completely?
Chamila started as a software developer before discovering that test automation offered more of what he wanted: code and problem-solving. Now, as a senior software engineer leading automation efforts, he's tested across banking, airlines, event systems, and enterprise platforms, each with different priorities.
One of his biggest challenges was rolling out a unified testing platform to 250 teams that already had their own automation in place, and he shares how he secured buy-in at that scale.
Here's everything we explored together:
Let's dive in!
I work as a senior software engineer, leading my team and looking after our automation efforts.
A big part of my job is monitoring overnight test runs and making sure progress is on track. I keep stakeholders and the product owner updated, and work with other teams to resolve data or environment issues. I also plan and estimate testing tasks, hand out work to team members, and take care of release documentation.
My daily work includes reviewing test cases, maintaining automation frameworks, adding new tests, and improving stability. I also focus on automating repetitive tasks so the team can save time.
I started my career as a software developer. Over time, I became more interested in test automation. It gave me the mix of coding and problem-solving I enjoyed, so I decided to focus my career on software testing and automation.
The core principles stay the same, but the focus changes with each industry.
In banking, I had to follow strict rules around compliance, security, and documentation. But when I worked on airline booking systems, my main concern was making sure the user journey was smooth and bookings didn't fail.
In event automation, performance was the bigger focus, and for Infor TAAS, usability and a friendly experience were key. Some systems had complete GUIs, while others were service-based, which also shifted the approach to automation. Overall, the testing priorities need to match the risks and requirements of the industry.
Resistance to change.
When we rolled out the Infor TAAS platform, about 250 teams were involved, and many already had their own automation in place. We had to show them why using a common platform made sense. Less time spent managing infrastructure, lower license costs, and simple integration.
We also provided training to make onboarding easy. Over time, these steps helped reduce resistance.
You need both technical and soft skills. Keep learning about new trends like AI testing tools, build strong communication skills to work well with teams, and join testing communities to share and grow knowledge.
Staying curious and adaptable is key to long-term growth.
AI helps generate test cases when we add new features and also supports regression testing by pointing out coverage gaps. On the automation side, it assists with code, helps troubleshoot issues faster, and even cuts down test flakiness. Overall, it saves time and effort, allowing us to focus on higher-value work.
For UI automation, I use Playwright and Selenium. For APIs, I prefer RestAssured. I rely on Allure for reporting, GitHub for code management, and ChatGPT for documentation and test case ideas. For learning, I go back to official technical guides and documentation.
That's a wrap!
Thank you, Chamila, for sharing insights on cross-industry testing and leading platform transformations at scale. You can connect with Chamila Ambahera on LinkedIn to discuss automation strategies and testing leadership.
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