REVIEW: DevOps Practice » Debunking Five Common Automated Testing Myths

REVIEW: "Debunking Five Common Automated Testing Myths BY ELYSIA LOCK of DevOps Practice"

Summary: Although "automated testing is imperative for DevOps maturity and success",many things hold us back from achieving success with automation, and among these (mis) beliefs and issues are:

1. "We Don’t Have the Time to Slow Down and Add Automation" - many organizations have proven the investment in smart automation pays dividends over time. A few general examples...

2.  "Automated Testing Is Too Difficult and Frankly, Just Not Worth It" - start with high value low hanging fruit and make a solid foundation for growth.

3.  "We Have to Hire a Specialized Person" -  I will take the counterpoint here and disagree.  I believe that although most people in your org likely can learn and start to automate, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT part of your automation strategy, DO NOT RE-INVENT THE WHEEL.  If you do not have a person on your team who has done this before then I HIGHLY recommend you contract or hire a person experienced in similar automation projects.  Let them build the foundation and then bring others onboard.  If you already have that foundational person, great, you are on your way.  

4. "We Have to Automate Everything" - see point 2 again - start with high value low hanging fruit and make a solid foundation for growth.  PLAN for the foundation to automate 50% or more but don't let it hold you back from achieving the first step.  Note the article and my feedback has been test level agnostic so far - UNIT tests should be foundational, then some functional level tests but each level likely has DIFFERENT owners/experts in most organizations.

5. "Continuous and Automated Testing Are Synonymous and We Don’t Have the Resources for Continuous Testing" - most organizations do (and should) prove automated tests outside the Continuous delivery process.  When tests are proven reliable and valuable then they can be moved within the Continuous delivery process as an early gating test.

"According to a survey by QASymphony and TechWell of testers and QA leaders at mid-size and large enterprises, “widespread test automation adoption still has a way to go, with more than three-quarters of respondents automating less than 50% of their testing.” "

A recommended read - thank you Elysia for this article.