Advantages / benefits of using Testing Tools

There are many benefits that can be gained by using tools to support testing. They are:

• Reduction of repetitive work: Repetitive work is very boring if it is done manually. People tend to make mistakes when doing the same task over and over. Examples of this type of repetitive work include running regression tests, entering the same test data again and again (can be done by a test execution tool), checking against coding standards (which can be done by a static analysis tool) or creating a specific test database (which can be done by a test data preparation tool).

• Greater consistency and repeatability: People have tendency to do the same task in a slightly different way even when they think they are repeating something exactly. A tool will exactly reproduce what it did before, so each time it is run the result is consistent.

• Objective assessment: If a person calculates a value from the software or incident reports, by mistake they may omit something, or their own one-sided preconceived judgments or convictions may lead them to interpret that data incorrectly. Using a tool means that subjective preconceived notion is removed and the assessment is more repeatable and consistently calculated. Examples include assessing the cyclomatic complexity or nesting levels of a component (which can be done by a static analysis tool), coverage (coverage measurement tool), system behavior (monitoring tools) and incident statistics (test management tool).

• Ease of access to information about tests or testing: Information presented visually is much easier for the human mind to understand and interpret. For example, a chart or graph is a better way to show information than a long list of numbers – this is why charts and graphs in spreadsheets are so useful. Special purpose tools give these features directly for the information they process. Examples include statistics and graphs about test progress (test execution or test management tool), incident rates (incident management or test management tool) and performance (performance testing tool).

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