Testing automation 201 Realizing ROI after you have a tool in place

In today’s Insights we’re focusing on Test Automation 201:

It is very likely that you’ve deployed a test automation tool, such as Eggplant, Tosca, or Selenium, in your environment. Did you achieve the ROI that you used to build your business case?

Very few organizations achieve the full ROI of new tools due to issues encountered after beginning a deployment. The massive amount of shelfware in most enterprises is very visible proof of the unrealized value of these tools. What are the keys to making your automation efforts an ongoing success with unquestioned ROI and organizational value?

 Here are four keys to realizing test automation ROI:

1.     Integrate testing into the development and operating culture of the organization. If your organization is already moving to DevOps, then this is probably already occurring, but is it being embraced by everyone? Are there Scrum teams that are setting up their own testing plans? In order to drive the best outcome for your test automation program the test team should have a seat at the table from planning to final release.

2.     Data governance is the foundation of good quality in testing. If your organization doesn’t already have a data quality and governance program in place it is imperative that you begin working on this. As the amount of data moving through the organization increases, the risk of producing inaccurate results due to bad data grows exponentially.

3.     As your library of test cases grows, the need to manage that inventory will get more complex. Do you have a governance framework established for cataloging, prioritizing, updating, and retiring your test cases? This is directly linked to data governance. What, how, and why are you testing, and how are the results improving the deployed application assets?

4.     What is your path forward in the organization? It is typical that a test automation business case is driven by the number of test cases that could be performed by an individual tester, or group, versus the throughput of a tool? This may be a good starting place, but the scope of your testing program needs to expand as new groups, such as manufacturing or field operations, become more reliant on data and enterprise applications. The growth of IoT devices and data will present an opportunity for you to blow the doors off your original ROI.

I hope that this edition was interesting, informative, and helps you all drive more value from your testing programs.