When to go for Re-engineering of your Test Suite?

A test suite will need to be considered for a re-architecture when one or more of the following criteria are true –
a) When there is no standard process for defining, organizing, managing, and documenting the testing activities
b) When testing efforts are non-repeatable, non-reusable, and difficult to measure
c) When test cases are redundant and repetitive
d) When the test results and metrics captured are of little or no value in qualifying the product/application
e) When the test suite coverage is inadequate
f) When the most important of defects are not uncovered in the initial stages of testing
g) When the test suite needs a lot of manual intervention during execution, or when there is scope for automation
h) When the application technology becomes obsolete or undergoes change

The test suite after re-engineering should have met the following criterion –
a) Contain a stable core set of tests
b) Remove tests that are redundant, repetitive or un-needed
c) Achieve better testing flow
d) Minimize execution time and user interaction
e) Maintain and improve dynamic testing ability
f) Improve maintainability and portability
g) Enhancing coverage readability
h) Structure enhancements for maintaining parallel and independent test development