Many small software teams turn to test automation, expecting substantial time and cost savings. However, they often fail to achieve any of these goals; instead of seeing a return on investment, they end up spending more effort and cost fixing their automation packs.
This failure can leave lasting scars, deterring people from embracing automation and realising its many benefits. Thankfully, though, these negative experiences are avoidable.
Over the last three decades, I’ve worked with software teams of all sizes to help implement test automation tools. I’ve noticed a few common issues that keep cropping up, and I’ve worked with teams to help address them easily and effectively…
Common Barriers to Automation Success
The biggest issue I see is inadequate planning. Many teams treat automation as a trivial activity, and then wonder why it fails.
Automation offers real and tangible benefits to your whole SDLC and beyond. Very little else has the potential to impact your ability to deliver in tight timescales, while driving up quality. But it needs to be taken seriously.
Like any project, automation needs to be given sufficient time, resources or importance.
This failure to plan and prepare means test teams dive straight into test creation without clear objectives, realistic expectation setting, or a list of test scripts prioritised for automation. It also negates the possibility of any serious consideration being put into tool selection or ongoing maintenance.
Crucially, too, if you don’t plan automation properly, you have no way of knowing whether it will deliver a return on investment. Without a clear return on investment, budgets will be tight/non-existent. Tight budgets inevitably lead test teams to do automation ‘on the cheap’ with dubious tool selection…
The Pitfalls of Cheap Tools
First of all, cheap tools are rarely cheap tools. Lower ticket prices generally lead to higher long-term costs.
Open-source automation tools, for instance, often require significant setup and integration effort, as well as almost continuous troubleshooting. Frequently relying on a key individual who understands how it works. If they leave, you’re stuffed.
Test case maintenance is another significant burden, as updates to the application-under-test often break automation scripts and force hours or even days of rework.
Sure, it is possible to claim success in the days immediately following implementation. In fact, I’ve seen many teams lulled into a false sense of security by short-lived honeymoon periods. However, over time, the automation scripts and setup will become increasingly brittle.
The whole thing will need ever-increasing effort to keep going and will ultimately reach a tipping point where further effort is not worth it.
And let’s be honest, cheap tools have significant gaps in their capabilities and application coverage. It’s common for teams to jury-rig multiple open-source tools into sketchy automation frameworks. These patchworks usually provide more problems than solutions, and rarely do half as much as a single professional tool…
Why AI-Based Automation is a Game-Changer
We’ve reached a point where automation teams of all sizes should utilise AI-based test tools. They offer too much value-add to ignore, particularly in reducing the effort and complexity of test creation and maintenance.
Smaller test teams often lack automation experts. The intuitive interface and AI-driven features of professional tools like OpenText Functional Testing (previously UFT One) reduce the learning curve, enabling automation novices to create robust tests rapidly. You can even create scripts from video walkthroughs of the application.
Don’t worry, though; these tools also allow automation professionals to access advanced capabilities.
These AI-based scripts won’t fall over when, say, an object moves on a webpage, massively reducing maintenance effort. Plus, OpenText Functional Testing can refactor your test cases in the case of more significant changes, reducing maintenance effort even further.
With professional support and regular updates, tools like OpenText Functional Testing help even one-person teams gain ROI from automation quickly and confidently.
Conclusion
Small teams don’t have to settle for the perpetual grind of maintaining fragile automation frameworks or the disappointments of cheap tools.
By investing in proven, enterprise-grade platforms like OpenText Functional Testing, teams can unlock significant productivity gains and drive meaningful results. Plus, the savings in time and effort will more than offset the value of the investment.
These days, there’s just no need for wasted time or hodgepodge frameworks.
I recently spoke with a customer whose time and effort savings were so significant that the cost of the tool was barely a drop in the ocean. Switching to OpenText Functional testing cut their automation scripting and maintenance effort by 50%. This reduced their overall project cost by around £50k. And this was without using the AI features!
Has test automation let your team down in the past?
Everyone should have access to reliable, professional automation solutions that deliver consistent ROI. Get in touch today for a quote, and I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how little a professional automation tool costs.
Reach out today to discover how OpenText Functional Testing can drive down your costs, accelerate your delivery, and put your automation efforts on a solid, reliable footing. The results might surprise you.
