The Real Costs of Manual Testing We will always test manually. Yes, a human will have to look at software before it is considered done. But does acceptance testing, or testing at the end of a project, add value to the business? It seems like we are asking for a diagnosis, and getting an autopsy when we manually "acceptance" test software at the end of a project, when the UI is already finished. At that point, we know mistakes are costlier to fix. Inside our development and IT departments, we often fail to consider the real cost of time spent testing manually. In fact, we hardly think about the value of our time at all. This section is open to discussion and opinions on manual testing vs. test automation. Your thoughts are welcomed! Jason