Other factors for Automation

Deciding factors for Automation

1. What you automate depends on the tools you use. If the tools have any limitations, those tests are manual.
2. Is the return on investment worth automating? Is what you get out of automation worth the cost of setting up and supporting the test cases, the automation framework, and the system that runs the test cases?

Criteria for automating

There are two sets of questions to determine whether automation is right for your test case:

Is this test scenario automate-able?

1. Yes, and it will cost a little.
2. Yes, but it will cost a lot.
3. No, it is no possible to automate.

How important is this test scenario?

1. I must absolutely test this scenario whenever possible.
2. I need to test this scenario regularly.
3. I only need to test this scenario once in a while.

If you answered #1 to both questions – definitely automate that test
If you answered #1 or #2 to both questions – you should automate that test
If you answered #2 to both questions – you need to consider if it is really worth the investment to automate

What happens if you can’t automate?
Let’s say that you have a test that you absolutely need to run whenever possible, but it isn’t possible to automate. Your options are

1. Re-evaluate – Do I really need to run this test this often?
2. What’s the cost of doing this test manually?
3. Look for new testing tools.
4. Consider test hooks.