No-Code/Low-Code Testing in the Accelerated Digital Transformation Era

The rapid pace of digital transformation is compressing the time that traditional development teams have for application and software testing, presenting an economic and operational challenge for businesses. Organizations need to invest in flexible, powerful testing platforms, but where will this investment yield the highest returns?

Financial justification of software testing has always been complicated. Ultimately, the return on investment (ROI) in automated and No-Code / Low-Code testing solutions boils down not only the cost of each test progression, but also the expense of mitigating software errors when you do find them. Businesses embrace the need to deliver quality software, of course, but calculating the benefits of comprehensive testing vs. time-to-market and other benefits of iterative software development cycles is tough to pin down.

The digital transformation of business is being driven by continuous development, and it shows no signs of slowing down. No-Code / Low-Code testing platforms are becoming increasingly critical in providing the scale and flexibility needed to implement testing within compressed time windows and where error mitigation yields the highest ROI.

The Economics of Automated Software Testing Platforms

Traditionally, software testing has been perceived as a necessary yet often challenging expense to justify. It’s a form of risk management, where the cost of testing is weighed against the potential harm that faulty software rollouts can inflict. And, if the testing is successful, those costs never materialize, making testing a tempting target for budget reductions.

At the most basic level, ROI on software testing platforms is defined as it is on any other tech investment. You will most often see this math expressed as:

ROI = Savings / Investment

Note that we cite Savings, not Return, since an investment in testing platforms seldom can be seen as creating new revenue. The financial benefits of testing solutions, particularly No-Code / Low-Code platforms, come from:

1. Avoiding the financial damage of delivering faulty software.
2. Lowering the costs of multiple testing rounds.
3. Executing testing at points in the development process where it has the greatest financial impact.

Testing automation platforms can help dramatically cut the cost per test, particularly if you plan to run the same testing sequence against iterative code builds. This post at Medium suggests that investment in a typical software testing automation platform can break even after 25 test automation runs, and reach a ROI of about 1.75 after about 50 runs.

For organizations undergoing rapid digital transformation, the economics of software testing become even more intricate. These organizations can leverage No-Code / Low-Code testing platforms that allow them to create tests as-needed, where they can create the most financial impact.

The Benefits of Testing Software Early and Often

A No-Code / Low-Code testing platform can create even greater ROI by allowing your team to quickly create tests and run them at any stage of development, at whatever pace your digital transformation is moving. And the sooner you test, the more impactful the results.

Research from Rice Consulting highlights the stark contrast between the costs of identifying and mitigating software defects at different stages of development. Fixing errors in software that reaches production can be at least 10 times as high as when defects are caught at earlier stages. This discrepancy emphasizes the economic value of testing software early and frequently.

Moreover, the cost of finding defects in the early stages of a project can be as low as $1 per defect, compared to $10 per defect after a completed code base rolls into full testing deployment. This underscores the benefits of implementing tests at incremental stages in a project’s life cycle, irrespective of the development approach.

The Impact of Shift-Left Testing

No-Code / Low-Code testing automation platforms empower organizations to conduct incremental testing of digital products during their early implementation phases. It allows testing of individual components, classes, or data references before they are deployed across various applications. This “shift-left” approach to testing not only identifies defects early but also streamlines the development process by ensuring that issues are addressed promptly.

Breaking Down Barriers between QA and Dev

In the modern DevOps landscape, where development, infrastructure, engineering, and quality assurance converge, a shared No-Code/Low-Code testing platform can help unify testing protocols and efforts. This integration ensures that testing aligns seamlessly with development, promoting a more efficient, agile and cost-effective development process.

Facilitating Acceptance of New Digital Transformation Development Models

For development teams accustomed to fixed schedules or even Agile sprints, the rapid pace of digital transformation, particularly in continuous integration/continuous development (CI/CD) environments, can be disruptive.

No-Code / Low-Code testing platforms play a pivotal role in compressing testing timeframes, making it easier for teams to embrace CI/CD models. This accelerates the delivery of new features, ensuring that software quality is maintained, even in fast-paced development cycles.

Ensuring Testing Resources in Rapid Digital Transformation

One of the risks associated with rapid testing windows is the potential for inadequate or skipped testing. It’s essential to accelerate the rate at which load, balance, and scale testing occurs, both in your data center and the end-user environment.

No-Code / Low-Code testing platforms allow you to disperse the work of testing to technically savvy business stakeholders and team members, ensuring that you have a strong base of in-house testing talent to support your rapid digital transformation.

Getting Users Closer to Testing

To avoid potential waste in the testing process, it’s essential that testing accurately reflects real-world use cases. Involving users in testing programs through intuitive Low-code / No-code platforms is a strategic way to achieve this. These platforms can simplify the testing process, allowing end-users to actively participate. This collaboration ensures that testing scenarios are relevant and aligned with actual usage, making the testing process more efficient and effective.

In conclusion, the rapid digital transformation era demands software testing tools that scale to keep pace with continuous, iterative software development. No-Code and Low-Code testing platforms are essential in this landscape, offering the versatility and flexibility needed to implement testing in compressed time windows.

Testing software early and frequently is a cost-effective approach that reduces the expense of identifying and mitigating defects post-deployment. Investing in No-Code / Low-Code testing platforms is not just a matter of improving ROI; it’s about securing the future of digital transformation.

Ken Hardin

Ken Hardin is an experienced business analyst and executive team leader with a demonstrated history of success in the internet industry. Ken was a key member of the startup teams for both TechRepublci.com and ITBusinessEdge.com. Since 2010, he has served as the Principal Analyst for Clarity Answers LLC, which provides business guidance and project management services.

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