Financial technology provider KMS Solutions reports over 60% failure in test automation implementations and cites incorrect estimates of return on investment (ROI) as one of the factors leading to negative project outcomes.
Careful analysis of ROI can save many companies from making poor investment decisions. The estimate can help understand the financial expectations of implementing a particular test automation solution and automating testing in general. However, without a proper effort analysis, ROI itself is not sufficient.
To protect your organization from significant financial loss, learn more about the costs to consider when calculating ROI and the effort required to automate Microsoft Dynamics 365 testing.
Specificity of Microsoft Dynamics 365 test automation
Each software application has its own testing requirements, which vary even more from company to company.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is an example of a particularly challenging product, as it is characterized by high complexity and numerous integrations. In addition, it is regularly updated by the Microsoft team. Many companies also choose to customize the suite’s standard features to meet their unique needs. Any changes to the code require regression testing, which makes the testing requirements for Microsoft Dynamics 365 even more stringent.
Last but not least, testing Microsoft Dynamics 365 must be particularly accurate and comprehensive, as this ERP and CRM suite is responsible for many critical business processes. Find more at: https://www.executiveautomats.com/resources/articles/dynamics-365-test-automation-roi-cost-estimation-and-effort-analysis
Return on investment in test automation of Dynamics 365
To understand the potential ROI, organizations should consider the expected benefits and costs associated with their investment.
Financial gains of test automation
The primary financial benefit of test automation is the saving of funds that would otherwise be spent on manual testing efforts.
In particular, when calculating ROI, you should consider the savings in the cost of manual labor, faster deployment of the software after its modification, and reduced costs due to software defects.
Costs associated with test automation
Automating Microsoft Dynamics 365 testing always comes with a cost. It is a big mistake to opt for one of the free solutions, such as Microsoft RSAT or Selenium, believing that the transition to automated testing will happen without any cost. Below you can find some of the most important costs:
1. Initial investment
As mentioned earlier, every test automation tool has its price. If you use a proprietary product like Executive Automats, you will obviously have to pay upfront licensing costs, but the simplicity of this tool and minimal installation requirements will reduce hardware and labor costs. On the other hand, you do not have to pay anything for Selenium, but there is a cost to building and maintaining the testing infrastructure.
2. Human resources and training
Your choice of tool will also determine the cost of human resources. The more user-friendly your solution is, such as Executive Automats, which has a coding-free interface, the less training your staff will need to use it. Using open-source tools like Selenium, on the other hand, requires professional assistance.
3. Development and execution of test scripts
Developing test scripts is one of the most time-consuming parts of Microsoft Dynamics 365 test automation. Again, the more user-friendly your tool is, the less manual work testers will be required to do which will reduce the associated costs. Meanwhile, running automated tests incurs operating costs proportionate to the scope of the tests.
4. Maintenance
Another important task for testers is to keep their test scripts up-to-date. Calculating the associated costs for test automation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 can be particularly challenging, as the effort depends on the number of software updates and the quality of the test scripts your team creates.
5. Reporting and analysis
These costs include the purchase of reporting and analysis tools, as well as the time and effort testers spend analyzing test results. Some test automation tools, such as Executive Automats, already include reporting tools, while others require you to develop your own solutions or integrate with third-party products.
Other components of ROI
Note that your ROI estimate will be limited by a specific timeframe. For a more complete understanding of the financial impact of test automation, you should also evaluate the long-term ROI.
Additionally, it is recommended that you perform a sensitivity analysis estimating ROI based on various assumptions. As you have noticed, many of the above factors cannot be accurately predicted. For this reason, it is useful to test ROI under a variety of possible conditions.
Effort assessment for test automation
An effort assessment is highly recommended for planning and managing your test automation project, especially for effective resource allocation and staying on schedule.
To perform an effort assessment for Microsoft Dynamics 365 test automation, you need to define the software components and features that need to be tested, as well as the part you want to test with an automated tool.
Based on the exact testing requirements and the choice of a test automation tool, you can estimate the effort required to create scripts, execute and maintain tests, report and evaluate test results, and analyze the effectiveness of test automation.
Conclusions
Calculating ROI and evaluating test automation efforts are essential to your project because they assess the potential financial impact of moving to automated testing. Before you decide to make a large investment in technology, you need to ensure that the financial gains from lower manual testing costs, faster software rollouts, and fewer defects are not outweighed by the investment costs, human labor expenses, and the purchase of additional tools such as reporting or analysis software.