Test Automation - A Competitive Advantage?

We've talked about HOW to evaluate testing automation. We discussed staffing issues, managing equipment from multiple vendors, maximizing asset utilization, and consolidating test results into one database to easily keep track of results, updates, etc. 

 

But what about the WHY? Why should companies invest in test automation tools, especially now, in an economy where cutting costs is typically the response to getting through this rough time?

 

It is a given that products will always need testing, and there will always be the need for human interaction. But, if you cut back on the testing or the people directly involved with the testing, my suspicion is that the product will suffer, followed by reputation. If you're considering cutbacks to weather the current financial situation, it's a good bet that your competition is too. If you rely on manual testing to produce and maintain a quality product, your company may be at a significant disadvantage when compared with higher quality competing products.

 

So, the reason companies need to invest now, is to not only maintain their competitive advantage, but perhaps even pull ahead! Automating your testing environment lets you do that. A sustainable competitive advantage is the focal point of your corporate strategy and test automation is one way to achieve a significant advantage with a modest investment of money and time.

 

Allocating Personnel: Use your limited staff wisely. To do that, you need to automate those repetitive testing tasks so the engineers can focus on the more complicated, mind-stimulating ones. Spend the small amount of time needed to design and develop the regression tests, smoke tests, etc. that can be run continually on their own, and not cost a dime to run. This frees up the time for testers to create and analyze the new, more exciting and complicated tests.