Test bitten developers exhibit zeal. They are excited to run their test suite, and see things complete with 100 percent success. This sort of emotion and pride tends to rub off on fellow developers.
But the reverse is also true. If you aren't excited by all this and don't spread the word, none of your team mates will realize it either. The idea of adding automated tests to your system will die a sad death.
This isn't just confined to my own personal experience. At the devLink conference in 2010, I attended an open space discussion about testing, and saw this sort of reaction among a dozen other developers I don't work with (pythontestingcookbook.posterous.com/greetings-programs). The testers showed a certain type of excitement as they relayed their experiences with testing. The ones that were on the fence about embracing automated testing were listening with glee in their eyes, drinking it in. Those not interested simply weren't there for the discussion.
If you are reading this book (which of course you are), there is a fair chance you are the only person on your team seriously interested in automated testing. Your team mates may have heard of it, but aren't as bitten by the idea as you. To add it to your system will require a lot of investment by you. But don't confine yourself to just sharing the code:
- Demonstrate the excitement you feel as you make progress and tackle thorny issues
- Share your test results by posting them on your walls where others can see
- Talk about your accomplishments while chatting with co-workers in the break room
Testing isn't a cold, mechanical process. It's an exciting, fiery area of development. Test bitten developers can't wait to share it with others. If you look for ways to spread the fire of automated testing, eventually others will warm up to it and you will find yourself talking about new testing techniques together.