Original Launches Web Site for Manual Software Testing

April 8, 2008 Alex Woodie

Intent on bridging the divide separating automated and manual testing processes, test automation specialists Original Software last week launched a new Web site, www.manualtesting.com, that contains resources geared toward helping IT managers reconcile their testing dilemma.

For years, Original Software pushed its suite of automated testing tools, which allow users of the System i platform, among others, to thoroughly check their modified applications for bugs, errors, and other problems before putting them into production.

Then, just over a year ago, Original changed course and started incorporating more manual testing processes into its suite. By cohabitating with customers’ pre-existing manual processes and documenting those processes, Original’s thinking goes, customers will experience less of a shock and accomplish more testing in the short term as they learn to use Original’s automated tools, which should save them a considerable amount of time once they’re implemented.

Original hopes to further explore ways to improve manual software testing at manualtesting.com. The new Web site features several resources for manual testing, including white papers, analyst reports, links to Original Webinars, a blog by Original CEO Colin Armitage, links to register to receive a manual testing ROI calculator, and Original’s feature-by-feature product comparison to other testing products. Visitors can also register to download a free trial copy of TestDrive-Assist, Original’s tool that lets customers use a mix of manual and automated testing techniques.

“Most CIOs are unaware of just how much manual testing is costing their company,” Armitage says. “The ROI calculator on manualtesting.com puts this in sharp perspective and illustrates how these figures can be cut by over a third, reducing overhead and significantly speeding up application delivery.”

Original, which is based in England and has U.S. headquarters in Chicago, also announced a new release of TestDrive-Assist. No details of the new product were provided.