Introducing automation into any stage of the software development workflow has great potential. It can be exactly what your team needs to save a lot of time and effort, and, as a result, money. Test automation can arguably be especially beneficial, since covering all the test cases manually is non an optimal use of resources. But choosing the right automation tools for your software testing is not a quick and simple process.
Testing tool evaluation without a PoC can take weeks and at the end you might still get a tool with certain limitations that won’t make it the right fit for your project. But you will discover that too late, which means wasting more time and money.
To avoid such a situation and make sure the test automation tool meets your project needs, there is an important step that you simply can’t miss, and that is carrying out a proof of concept.
What is a proof of concept?
In general, a proof of concept (PoC) is a method that allows you to evaluate the potential of a concept or an idea and see if it would be feasible to implement it in real-world conditions.This method is a convenient way to make sure that a certain product idea, concept, or design will work well for your purposes before you actually start developing a software product based on that.
In the context of software testing and development, a proof of concept (PoC) refers to the implementation or demonstration of a software concept to validate its feasibility and functionality. The main focus is testing specific software features or functionalities rather than creating a fully polished product. It aims to identify potential issues, challenges, or limitations early in the development process, allowing you to make more informed decisions and iterate on the design or implementation if necessary.
In the context of automated testing, PoC testing software involves the creation and execution of test cases or scripts to validate the functionality and performance of a software system or component. The aim is to demonstrate how the automated testing framework or tool can effectively identify defects, improve testing efficiency, or reduce effort compared to traditional manual testing approaches.
Sometimes a PoC is confused with a prototype. Check out our previous article, where we write more about proof of concept vs. prototype and how they differ.
Proof of concept in automation testing
A PoC in software automation testing is a decision-making process that helps you to make sure the automation solution you are about to implement on your project will be the right choice. It should be your first step on the way to automation transformation, because you don’t want to start using test automation software only to realize the tool only partially meets your requirements. A mismatch between the toolkit functionality and project requirements can slow down the whole development process and, in the worst-case scenario, cause project failure.
It is especially useful when you need to convince the project stakeholders that a certain automation tool is what your project needs. Automation is always a process that will involve some extra costs, and the product team needs a way to demonstrate to the business-side stakeholders that they have indeed chosen the right solution that will pay off long-term.
It is worth remembering that implementing an agile approach in automation testing allows teams to break down complex tasks into manageable iterations. A PoC serves as a stepping stone towards the more extensive implementation process, enabling developers and testers to validate assumptions, test the feasibility of automation tools, and iterate swiftly based on the outcomes. Developers and testers can proactively identify and address potential bottlenecks, compatibility issues, or performance limitations by conducting targeted tests and evaluations. This allows for earlier implementation of the necessary adjustments and improvements, ensuring a smoother implementation process.
Moreover, a PoC offers insights into the tool's capabilities, integrations, and potential limitations, enabling the team to make informed decisions and refine their approach.
An agile approach allows businesses to adapt to changes more quickly and refine their automation strategies for optimal results.
Keep in mind though, that a proof of concept is something that should happen after primary research and evaluation. It is important to consider multiple solutions before you choose the one that you feel is worthy of a PoC, because it is very likely that your stakeholders won’t agree to let you do as many PoCs as your heart desires.
PoC benefits
So what exactly can a proof of concept do for your project? There are multiple pain points for a testing project that can be removed with a successful PoC.
First of all, a PoC helps you to determine the best solution for testing automation that will suit the particular testing requirements and objectives of your specific project. You will be able to make sure that the tool you select will help you achieve the testing goals.
When you are moving from manual testing to automation testing, a PoC will also showcase the potential savings that an automation solution can provide. A PoC is a way to predict long-term return on investment too, which your stakeholders will appreciate.
Another significant advantage of a PoC lies in its cost effectiveness. Implementing a full-scale automation tool without validating its efficacy can have substantial financial implications. However, conducting a PoC incurs minimal costs in comparison. Businesses can make more informed decisions and mitigate risks by investing a fraction of what could be potentially lost in a flawed implementation. The price of a PoC is lower when weighed against the potential savings and efficiency gains in the long run.
Some may believe that automation is only viable in the later stages of a project. However, conducting a PoC offers a unique opportunity to introduce automation at the very beginning. Thanks to this, organizations can identify issues and bugs in the nascent phases, preventing them from amplifying into critical problems occurring at an advanced stage of development. This proactive approach enhances the overall quality of the software and reduces the chances of time-consuming and costly rework.
Moreover, a PoC will help you to learn more about your own project – often it can unearth hidden problems like a lack of testing strategy or coherent software testing process, or other factors that can directly influence the testing results.
Are you still wondering why you need a PoC? Click the link for the answer.
Best practices for a proof of concept in test automation
To fully enjoy the benefits of a PoC, it is vital to make sure you follow certain guidelines when you proceed with it. There are a number of best practices and strategies that will help you conduct a successful proof of concept and achieve all the goals that you set for your company’s automation transformation.
Set PoC goals
Choosing to run a proof of concept requires a clear focus on specific goals. However, it is crucial to ensure that these goals are well-defined and measurable. Ensure your team and key stakeholders are familiar with the success criteria and understand what your PoC is set to accomplish.
To further enhance the effectiveness of your PoC, consider outlining hypotheses that you want to test during its execution. These goals and beliefs should reflect the unique advantages of automation testing, such as its ability to expedite the software development process and facilitate the implementation of CI/CD. Additionally, automation testing excels in handling large volumes of test data, enabling comprehensive testing of all possible input data scenarios. Comparatively, manual tests often require a compromised approach.
It is important to establish benchmarks by noting the current state of testing – by setting these benchmarks in advance, you gain a clear point of reference to gauge the PoC results. This allows you to assess the impact of automation testing, particularly in terms of speed, efficiency, and the ability to handle extensive test data.
Determine the PoC scope
A proof of concept is not intended to encompass all the testing requirements dictated by your project. Instead, it is a test run to evaluate whether the selected automation tools align with your expectations and needs.
When determining which critical test cases to include in the PoC, consider specific criteria, such as regression testing duration, and ease of implementation of a particular test case. For example, regression tests for a particular functionality consistently consume a significant amount of time during each testing cycle. In that case, test automation can significantly reduce testing duration while simultaneously increasing source code coverage. When we are talking about the ease of implementation, sometimes some test cases are perfect for automation, and are simpler and faster than performing them manually.
However, it's essential to shift the focus of test case selection to evaluating the automation tool itself. Here are some key criteria to consider:
- Language support – assess the automation tool's compatibility with various programming languages to ensure it supports your preferred language(s) for test script development.
- Test writing facilitation – evaluate how the automation tool simplifies and expedites the process of test script creation. Consider features that streamline test writing, ultimately reducing the time required for test development.
- Enhanced testing visibility – explore how the tool improves visibility into the testing process. Look for capabilities that provide individual test reports, summary reports, and a test history log, offering comprehensive insights into test execution and results.
- Integration capabilities – examine how well the automation tool integrates with other project tools, such as CI/CD and ticketing systems. Seamless integration facilitates a smoother testing workflow and promotes efficient collaboration within the project ecosystem.
- Test coverage – evaluate the automation tool's capabilities in covering various functional and non-functional tests. Examples may include functional component tests, end-to-end (E2E) tests, and API tests. Additionally, assess whether the tool allows for clear visualization of test coverage by linking to requirements definitions or providing coverage metrics.
- Debugging – functionalities like breakpoints, step-by-step execution, and logging capabilities make test debugging easier and quicker.
- Test isolation – this allows for targeted and focused testing, enabling efficient troubleshooting and reducing dependencies between tests.
- Test execution flexibility – here features such as the ability to run specific test cases, specific test suites, or even parallel execution of tests matter.
- Extensibility – look for features that support modular and maintainable test scripts, allowing for scalability and adaptability as the project evolves.
- Clear documentation – clear and concise documentation for the tests is necessary for the testers and stakeholders from the business side. The documentation should be easily understandable, facilitating effective communication about the test cases and their outcomes.
Another thing you might want to evaluate is test maintenance capacity. It might not always be possible to apply changes to the system during the PoC, but ideally that will get you more data on the tool’s capabilities.
The whole idea of conducting a PoC is to prove that automation testing is viable for your project, however, it is important to use the PoC to also learn the limitations of the automation tool you selected. It is very likely that some aspects of your product can’t be tested automatically, and you need to know about all of them to make an informed decision about whether to use the selected tool any further.
Another interesting fact is that many of the commercial tools offer a free demo for clients – you have only to ask for one.
Analyze the results
When the PoC is complete and you gather feedback from the team, there are several aspects that are crucial to review. Obviously, you need to see if the PoC goals and success criteria you set have been achieved, but although that is very important it is not the only thing you should look at.
Sometimes there is not just one tool but several PoC candidates involved in the evaluation process. In that case, you need to compare how each of these tools performed, and which one offers the best advantages, so that you can make the final decision on which one to approve for regular use. Analyzing the time spent on testing, you can also learn more about estimating the time frame for future projects, which is especially useful for large-scale testing projects. The results of the PoC can help with estimating the potential RoI as well.
Finally, you will have the opportunity to make sure the automation testing tool actually generates the better-quality and coherent reports that you need, see which metrics are available, and how detailed the resulting data will be.
Conduct a pilot project
Even though the PoC is complete, the final step is to make sure your selected testing software works in the real-world environment. Typically, a pilot project is a challenge that allows you to confirm the approved automation tool can work in real-world conditions as expected, but on a small scale, saving on expenses. A pilot project creates an opportunity to recheck and determine definitively that your PoC is indeed successful.
However, it's crucial to make a definitive decision after the PoC. One common problem is getting stuck in an indefinite PoC phase, losing sight of project goals. To avoid this, treat the automation project like a well-structured expedition. Use the PoC as a compass to uncover risks and challenges, but remember the importance of decisive project management.
After completing the PoC, gather the team and assess outcomes. Evaluate risks against project objectives and make a strategic choice. Either embrace the new tools' potential or pivot to an alternative path. This ensures optimized resources, maintained timelines, and progress toward success.
Conclusion
Test automation is a solution that is becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. Still, automation transformation is a complex process that can easily turn out to be more costly and difficult than you initially imagine. Choosing to run a proof of concept at an early stage of project development before committing to a specific automation testing tool is how you can ensure you are making the right decision. With a PoC, testing software will definitely bring lots of improvements to your testing project, speeding up the release process, which nowadays must be competitive. Moreover, allowing for further test automation is a necessary step for CI/CD implementation.
