Criteria for Automation

Criteria for automating
There are two sets of questions to determine whether automation is right for your test case:

Is this test scenario automatable?
Yes, and it will cost a little
Yes, but it will cost a lot
No, it is no possible to automate

How important is this test scenario?
I must absolutely test this scenario whenever possible
I need to test this scenario regularly
I only need to test this scenario once in a while


If you answered #1 to both questions – definitely automate that test
If you answered #1 or #2 to both questions – you should automate that test
If you answered #2 to both questions – you need to consider if it is really worth the investment to automate

What happens if you can’t automate?
Let’s say that you have a test that you absolutely need to run whenever possible, but it isn’t possible to automate. Your options are
>Reevaluate – do I really need to run this test this often?
>What’s the cost of doing this test manually?
>Look for new testing tools
>Consider test hooks