Overview

Mention automation at a testing conference and you will probably get a variety of opinions on the topic. Some feel it is the way of the future,-while others feel it is unneeded. It is an ongoing debate, and the problem is that depending on the situation, both sides are correct. If used correctly, automation can greatly improve your team s effectiveness and efficiency, but if used incorrectly, it can be a huge waste of time and resources. It is easy to fall into the mental trap that automating something saves time because people often only look at the execution time. The reality of the situation is that automating a task carries many commitments and requirements that bear looking at before making any decisions. Compounding this problem is the availability of several different automation options, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

There are two basic ways to go about automating your tests and metrics. The first and easiest way is to buy an off-the-shelf automation program. Using a third-party tool is easy and provides you with some level of support when you encounter an issue with the tool. The downside is the lack of customization and the cost of purchasing multiple licenses. The other way to approach automation is to develop all your automation tools in house. This method allows you to customize the tools to better suit your task, but also forces you to maintain and support the tools, which can be a time sink.

Automation will...