Ask any type of design leader about examination automation, and the very first inquiry that turns up is:
“What’s the ROI?”
On the surface, it’s a fair inquiry. Besides, examination automation requires time, devices, and knowledgeable individuals. But here’s the unpopular fact: most test automation ROI estimations are basically flawed.
The ROI Formula Everyone Loves (and Why It’s Wrong)
Below’s the common pitch you’ll see in a slide deck:
- A hand-operated examination takes 10 minutes
- The test runs 50 times per launch
- Increase it by the tester’s per hour rate =”manual price.”
- Currently change that with automation, subtract the first configuration price, and voilà– automation has “spent for itself.”
It looks neat, it looks convincing, however it’s rarely truth.
Right here’s why.
1 Manual Effort Isn’t a Genuine Standard
Hand-operated implementation is inconsistent. Testers don’t actually rerun every regression instance in every sprint. They focus on risk-based areas, change-driven scenarios, or priority checks.