Take an incremental test automation approach for business optimization 

The rapid shift to automated testing and QA processes is to improve efficiency. And, we cannot underestimate the urgency to improve flexibility in product development so we can release it to the market error-free and quickly. Unfortunately, if the product reaches the user with a few pitfalls, enterprises are bound to face much higher costs in terms of revenue and credibility.

Acknowledging that a thoroughly tested product will directly impact the bottom line, it has become clear that only test automation can aid the process to maintain Cost of Quality (CoQ). As a more customizable and scalable solution added to regular testing cycles, incremental test automation has become critical to continuous integration and delivery.

CoQ has a direct link with ROI, and therefore, CoQ is the main factor driving the product’s success. The quality of the product can only be ensured through various phases of cross-functional testing as the product is graded on its defect rate, functionalities, speed, throughput, and multiple load capabilities.

Is Incremental Test Automation The Right Approach?

With increasing emphasis on continuous delivery by B2B and B2C markets, it has become essential to shift test automation to a larger scale. Automation testing is the natural solution for a cost-efficient testing process. Since over 56% of the defects appear in the development stage, sending the product for testing after the development does not help. It can allow the defects to crawl into the production stage. Therefore, the testing strategy must move to frequent and incremental testing from the development stage of the SDLC. Automation tools further enhance the shift-left testing strategy.

Objectives of Incremental Test Automation 

The objectives of an incremental test automation process are to ensure that the test modules or components work together after the integration stage, continuously locate defects and bugs from the initial development stage, and fix issues efficiently and cost-effectively.

Essentially, incremental test automation breaks up the applications into individual components before testing. The use of Agile methodology ensures that testing starts at a module level, integrating it with another, and testing the integration before moving on to the next module. This process increases the testing frequency and empowers the enterprise with scalability that meets the continuously evolving requirements. Having an opportunity to detect bugs early gives the team more time to resolve them. 

Challenges in Test Automation 

 While the objectives are clear on adopting incremental test automation, there remain a few challenges, such as:

  • Choosing the right testing tool – Each enterprise has unique business needs and selecting the right test automation tool is critical to the success of QA.
  • Expensive investment – Enterprises may balk at investing in automation testing because of recurring costs of maintaining and managing the testing unit.
  • Testing roadmaps – Enterprises may not often have deep insights into their technology infrastructure, which may lead to poor alignment of the testing roadmap.

However, as long as enterprises have a clear post-implementation goal, the benefits of using incremental test automation become clear. Moreover, with realistic expectations of the ROI, they can reduce the cost of automation maintenance.

Tangible Benefits of Incremental Test Automation 

One of the advantages of using incremental test automation lies in lowering the overall CoQ. With a culture of continuous testing, you remove recurring costs due to failures at any stage of the SDLC. It also reduces the cost of the environment that is used for test automation, including mobile devices, cloud platforms, or virtual machines. Other benefits include:

  • Enhancing the end-user value by addressing user expectations
  • Creating tests faster with frequent and quick feedback cycles
  • Streamlining the process, making it faster to market
  • Easier maintenance, cutting costs on resources

To conclude

Therefore, staying focused on quicker releases and high-quality products through continuously incremented test automation is necessary. Incremented testing can be expanded to other testing areas, including unit, integration, and functional testing. Such full coverage of testing across all devices and platforms and product versions ensures improved ROI. It is only by looking at QA as an integral part of the development of the product, can we empower the digital-first application and make it faster to market.

Enterprises can ensure the highest quality of products due to the adoption of incremental test automation. A two-pronged approach involving an incremental approach to testing and automation can help enterprises keep their CoQ under control and reap better ROI.

Still curious about how organizations are keeping their Cost of Quality at bay with Incremental Test Automation?

 

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