More and more companies are moving to agile software delivery approaches. But agile delivery brings with it a new set of challenges; among them, functional test automation-opinion is divided in the Agile community on the value of automated testing. However the reality is that software teams must manage quality if they are to avoid operational risk. Businesses are encouraged to adopt an agile process that fits their unique needs. Nothing about agile is predetermined or dictated so it's no surprise that businesses find it challenging to implement agile as a trusted business process-using tools to automate their agile delivery process is yet another variable that complicates the decisions they must make.

This paper discusses the benefits and offers some guidance on incorporating automated functional testing and testing tools into agile software delivery environments. You will learn about the critical role that automated testing plays in helping companies implement and support an Agile process. The paper discusses aspects of Borland's agile transformation as a reference point or use case. You'll see how a geographically distributed team overcame challenges and leveraged automated testing and other tools to ensure a successful transition. We'll discuss the lessons learned in our transformation and as a result how Borland's automated tools are being developed to support and enhance Agile delivery methods.