Summary: In the world of automated testing, everyone throws around buzzwords like "data-driven," "data flows" and "error handling," but what does it take to produce automation that is efficient, maintainable and usable? Successful automated testing requires a considerable financial investment. Simply installing an automated testing tool and recording scripts may jumpstart the initial automated testing effort, but this approach will become difficult to maintain and therefore more expensive. A more cost-effective solution is an architected solution. Providing the right architectural framework for automation development means that the automation code can be used for longer periods of time with less maintenance than a simple record/playback solution. This translates to a significant savings over the course of longer projects, and the ability to more thoroughly test an application with less employee overhead. The particular architecture championed here is based on the idea of automation code as an application in its own right. Code reuse, encapsulation (on many levels), recursion, object-oriented concepts, testing maturity and usability (of automation by non-technical business analysts) are covered. The result of this architecture is reliable automation code with scripts that can last the entire life of the product (not just the project) and that can be used and enhanced by business analysts who have little to no knowledge of automated testing.

Summary: Are you frustrated with vendors of test automation tools that do not tell you the whole story about what it takes to automate testing? Are you tired of trying to implement test automation without breaking the bank and without overloading yourself with work? I've experienced first hand why people find test automation difficult, and I've developed useful ways to cut testing costs. We must focus on simple tools that produce results. Testing is like systems development. If you want quality results, start with quality requirements. You should not start with test automation; you start with an organized approach to QA testing that will facilitate test automation. This paper explains how you can succeed when you address the real costs and benefits of test automation.

For any smart customer, the test automation scripts are only a support device to manual testing, NOT to bump off the later. In that case, the customer will be more focused on the return on investment (ROI) for each of test automation script built (as the initial investment is high!). So choose the tangible test cases to automate against each phases of development (and demonstrate the same to the customer).

Please feel free to read the entire document on The Automation Effort Estimation. ...

Summary: This humorous video clip was created to promote the benefits of automation testing within an organization. It is an original 'rap song' and might be useful to other organizations seeking to do the same thing. The format is WMV (Windows Media Video), the size is 4.4 MB, and it should play successfully on up-to-date versions of Windows Media Player (i.e. ones that contain the CODEC for the WMV file format).