The Parable of the Bridge Builders

Let me share a short story to explain.

Once, in a bustling valley, a team of builders was tasked with constructing a great bridge to connect two towns. The builders worked swiftly, laying stones and beams, focused only on raising the structure. "Our job is to build," they said. "Let others ensure it stands."

A separate group, called the Checkers, was hired to test the bridge’s strength after it was built. They came later, prodding and measuring, but their tools were unfamiliar to the builders, and their tests took time - too much time. By the time the Checkers found weak beams, the builders had moved on to new projects. Fixing the flaws meant unraveling work already done, coordinating with new builders, and delaying the bridge’s opening. The townspeople grew frustrated, waiting for a bridge that was either late or unsafe.

Sometimes, the Checkers, overwhelmed by the builders’ speed, couldn’t test everything. The bridge opened anyway, but creaks and cracks soon appeared. "Why bother testing?" some builders grumbled. "It slows us down." Others built bridges harder to test, with tangled beams and hidden joints, making the Checkers’ job even tougher. The bridge grew slower to build, costlier to maintain, and less reliable.

One day, a wise builder proposed a change. "Let us, the builders, test as we go," she said. "We know the beams, the stones, the design. We can check each piece as we place it." The team agreed. They learned to test their work, building with care and checking strength at every step. The bridge rose faster, sturdier, and ready for use. The townspeople crossed it with confidence, and the builders took pride in their craft.

When developers own test automation, they’re like builders testing their own work. They know the system best - its internals, its quirks. By writing and running tests as they code, they catch issues early, before others touch the work. This avoids duplicated effort, delays, and brittle end-to-end tests that slow delivery. Developers design testable systems, use familiar tools, and keep quality high. No bottlenecks, no blame - just a strong bridge, delivered fast.

Specialists can’t keep up with a flood of code from many developers. They lack deep system insight, so their tests are slow and fragile. Their tools, often unfamiliar to developers, create silos and bottlenecks. The delivery pipeline either slows to a crawl or ships untested code, eroding trust in testing. It’s a lose-lose cycle that only breaks when developers take responsibility for testing.

Empower developers with the skills and tools to automate tests. Make testing part of their workflow, not an afterthought. Ensure they have the knowledge to write effective tests - unit, integration, whatever fits. When developers own the quality of their code, the whole pipeline flows smoother, faster, and stronger.

Like the builders who tested as they built, developers who own testing create systems that stand tall and serve well. It’s not just faster - it’s the only sustainable way to deliver quality at scale.