If you’re new to automated testing, you’re probably starting off with a lot of questions: How do I know which tests to automate? Why is automated testing useful for me and my team? How do I choose a tool or framework? This article answers a lot of those questions—and gives you some more to consider!—so you have an excellent foundation for beginning your automation endeavors.

Getting good test documentation is a consistent challenge. Agile proposes that you should go very light on documentation, and while test documentation does not need to be heavy, it does need to be clear and cover all that the product is intended to do so you can ensure testing is consistent and results are recorded. Here's how to overcome some major barriers to getting good test documentation.

Automation is a service to testing—a tool that may prove to be useful or turn wasteful. When approaching test automation, there are five main areas to focus on, expressed in the acronym TERMS: Tools and Technology, Execution, Requirements, Maintenance, and Security. Here are some examples of how these factors are involved in defining automation success or failures.

The test pyramid is a great model for designing your test portfolio. However, the bottom tends to fall out when you shift from progression testing to regression testing. The tests start failing, eroding the number of working unit tests at the base of your pyramid. If you don't have the development resources required for continuous unit test maintenance, there are still things you can do.