It's a new year, and many of us in IT and testing are reflecting on how we can improve our processes and strategies. As we set our 2024 quality resolutions, let's reconsider our impulse toward ever-increasing test automation. Are we falling into the trap of trying to eat faster to lose weight? By only accelerating our efforts, we fail to confront the real root causes of inefficiencies.
Just as diet fads promise thinness through gimmicks, we’ve been sold a fantasy that more test automation will solve all problems. But while judicious automation provides value, many teams over-invest relative to the challenges they face. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail, so teams hammer away endlessly to construct vast automated architectures. Meanwhile, quality lingers at the same mediocre levels.