White Paper: Has Testing Fallen Behind Development?
The Benefits of Automation
The benefit of automating certain aspects of tests is well accepted in the equipment industry, and many manufacturers have begun developing their own automation tools. Tool development, however, is not the core competency of QA groups, resulting in low adoption rates.
Testers will use automation tools that make their jobs easier and faster. The benefits of well-executed test automation tools include time savings and increased coverage—especially for repetitive, mundane tasks for which a human tester does not add value, such as:
- Configuring a testbed into a certain state
- Repeating a test on a new software build
- Repeating a test on different equipment or devices
- Executing another test that is similar to one already performed—for example, repeating the same batch of tests for each port on a network device
- Searching through output logs to identify root causes of failure
Most QA groups have already experienced the value of automating tasks that are impractical to do manually, such as testing how a router behaves if 10,000 routes are added, and handling threading issues.
This white paper is the first in a two-part series examining the innovation barrier: its causes, effects, and remedies. Part one identifies the problem and focuses on the technology needed to solve it. Part two of the white paper series explores the potential impact on the equipmentmanufacturing industry if the innovation barrier is not eliminated.
