What to Automate

If time permits, automate testing of the entire project. Practical experience has shown that on average you can automate 60% of the overall project. Your objective should be to automate testing of the critical path(s) of the AUT. First, automate the primary functions that will be performed by the targeted end-users. Slowly, but surely, add the not-so-critical portions of the application as time permits. Be sure to develop a test coverage matrix showing requirements on one axis and developed tests on the other so that you constantly have a good picture of what has and what has not been automated.

Early in the project do not bother to automate testing of such things as login, user preferences, or other options. Do not automate testing of status bars, help screens, or any other areas of the application that development will pay little attention to until later in the project. Plan for the automation strategy for these items early in the test development phase, but do not implement them until the development effort focuses on them. A bit of common sense tells us that we automate testing of those items that development considers finished or complete.

Hancock says to automate “what makes sense.”(1) The answer to this question will vary from project to project and from environment to environment. You will have to develop an assessment strategy for your testing organization that can be used to determine what to automate. We believe our tips will assist you during your decision process.