Essential guiding principles - QA Automation Framework

• Test automation is a fulltime effort, not a sideline.
• The test design and the test framework are totally separate entities.
• The test framework should be application-independent.
• The test framework must be easy to expand, maintain, and perpetuate.
• The test strategy/design vocabulary should be framework independent.
• The test strategy/design should remove most testers from the complexities of the test framework.

Wonderful points above. More details @ link below

http://safsdev.sourceforge.net/FRAMESDataDrivenTestAutomationFrameworks.htm