Potential Risks of Using Testing Tools in Software Testing.

 

Potential Risks of Using Tools

Although there are significant benefits that can be achieved using tools to support testing activities, there are many organizations that have not achieved the benefits they expected. Simply purchasing a tool is no guarantee of achieving benefits, just as buying membership in a health club does not guarantee that you will be fitter. Each type of tool requires n investment of effort and time in order to achieve the potential benefits.

There are many risks that are present when tool support for testing is introduced and used, whatever the specific type of tool. Risks include:

• unrealistic expectations for the tool; underestimating the time, cost and effort for the initial introduction of a tool;
• underestimating the time and effort needed to achieve significant and continuing
• benefits from the tool;
• underestimating the effort required to maintain the test assets generated by the tool;
• over-reliance on the tool.

Unrealistic expectations may be one of the greatest risks to success with tools. The tools are only software and we all know that there are many problems with any kind of software! It is important to have clear objectives for what the tool can do and that those objectives are realistic.

Introducing something new into an organization is seldom straightforward. Having purchased a tool, you will want to move from opening the box to having a number of people being able to use the tool in a way that will bring benefits. There will be technical problems to overcome, but there will also be resistance from other people. Both need to be addressed in order to succeed in introducing a tool.

1. Think back to the last time you did something new for the very first time (learning to drive, riding a bike, skiing). 
2. Your first attempts were unlikely to be very good but with more experience you became much better. Using a testing tool for the first time will not be your best use of the tool either.
3.  It takes time to develop ways of using the tool in order to achieve what is possible. 
4. Insufficient planning for maintenance of the assets that the tool produces is a strong contributor to tools that end up as 'shelf-ware', along with the previously listed risks. 
5. Although particularly relevant for test execution tools, planning for maintenance is also a factor with other types of tool.
6. Tools are definitely not magic! 
7. They can do very well what they have been designed to do (at least a good quality tool can), but they cannot do everything.
8.  A tool can certainly help, but it does not replace the intelligence needed to know how best to use it, and how to evaluate current and future uses of the tool. 

For example, a test execution tool does not replace the need for good test design and should not be used for every test; some tests are still better executed manually. A test that takes a very long time to automate and will not be run very often is better done manually.

This list of risks is not exhaustive. Two other important factors are:

• the skill needed to create good tests.
• the skill needed to use the tools well, depending on the type of tool.

concentrates on what should be tested, what the test cases should be and how to prioritize The skills of a tester are not the same as the skills of the tool user. The tester the testing. The tool user concentrates on how best to get the tool to do its job effectively and