During the 2008 credit crunch, companies slashed technical investment. The mantra “do more with less” stuck—and 17 years later, testers are still paying the price as demands, complexity, and expectations have soared.
It’s no coincidence that we’re witnessing an increasing number of high-profile software failures and cyber attacks. Yet, there’s still little willingness to invest in the right test tools and training.
This begs the question: If massive worldwide failures aren’t enough to spur investment, will anything shake this mindset?
Pressure to Deliver More, Faster
We’ve all noticed the pressure constantly mounting. Companies now demand broader coverage, higher quality, and faster releases on shoestring budgets.
Ask yourself…
- When was the last time your employer seriously invested in your training?
- Is your team empowered to buy professional-grade test tools, or are you steered toward freebies and open source?
The Pressure to Do Software Testing on the Cheap
For most teams, “doing more with less” means automating on the cheap—relying on free, open-source tools and sheer determination rather than proper resourcing.
This approach doesn’t take testing seriously, failing to consider both the long-term impacts and the total cost of ownership.
Cheap Test Tools… What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Cutting investment in quality tools may look frugal, but it breeds technical debt, fragile automation, and higher long-term costs. Expecting testers to deliver more with inferior tools is unsustainable.
The technical limitations of cheap tools often mean stretching them well beyond what they were meant to do, risking incomplete test coverage, fragile builds, and live issues.
I’ve pointed this out time and time again, but the integration, management, and maintenance of cheap and/or open-source tools quickly becomes prohibitively expensive. It’s often a full-time job, sometimes for multiple people.
Does AI Present Testers with a Glimmer of Hope?
There’s a growing awareness, at least in better-informed circles, that cheap tools and inadequately trained resources are a recipe for disaster in the increasingly AI-powered world.
The potential threats from AI are mounting. Security, compliance, and data protection concerns are piling pressure on organisations to deliver tighter, higher-quality solutions.
These increased threats, regulations and rising customer expectations might mean businesses finally find room in their budgets for more robust testing solutions.
On the other hand, AI and smart automation tools now offer strong business cases and proven return on investment—far better alternatives to cheap tools.
Conclusion
Cutting corners rarely leads to sustainable growth, and free test tools often have costly long-term consequences.
Leaders who still cling to austerity-era thinking risk becoming the next cautionary tale. Real business change comes from investing strategically—in people, in process, and in robust, powerful solutions.
UK businesses still seem stuck in the credit crunch, but the rest of the world has moved on. In this AI-driven landscape, risks have multiplied, expectations have soared, and reputations are more fragile than ever.
Investment in professional test tools and training isn’t a luxury—it’s insurance against failure, and perhaps UK businesses are finally starting to realise this.
