I recently moved into the Software Testing department of my organization.The business has little history of automating testing, and most software development and testing is conducted by third parties on our behalf. However, we do employ testers directly, and are now looking to increase automation within software testing.
To do this, we have begun to purchase test scripts for regression packages from these third parties. I have a bit of programming experience, and I worry that purchasing scripts will not allow us to have a) the knowledge to evaluate these scripts effectively and b) to fully access the benefits of automation.
By the full benefits of automation, I mean the capacity to understand on the spot whether or not a process is a potential candidate for automation, how long it would take to automate versus manual execution, how to effectively re-use existing function libraries (test partners and the individuals working for them regularly change) etc. This knowledge could lead us beyond simply automating regression packs for long term maintenance purposes, to more sophisticated automation approaches.
However, as no such capacity exists within the organization at the moment, there would be costs associated with creating and maintaining the skill base required.
As someone new to testing, I wonder - are my concerns justified, or are the cost savings associated with buying test scripts sufficient justification for a lack of in-house expertise?