{"id":374,"date":"2024-05-30T16:08:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T16:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rainforestqa.com\/test-automation-maintenance\/"},"modified":"2025-03-03T17:09:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:09:17","slug":"test-automation-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/test-automation-maintenance","title":{"rendered":"The unexpected costs of test automation maintenance and how to avoid them [Data]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Since 2020, we\u2019ve worked with hundreds of startups transitioning from manual software testing to test automation. Over that time, we\u2019ve repeatedly seen teams underestimate the costs of test automation maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Specifically, teams don\u2019t anticipate how much time they\u2019ll have to spend on maintenance, and how disruptive it\u2019ll be to their productivity and release pipelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To quantify these costs, we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/state-of-test-automation-2024\">surveyed over 600 software developers and engineering leaders<\/a>&nbsp; about their experiences with test automation. We\u2019ll share the results in this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But first\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/test-automation-maintenance\/#A_quick_primer_on_test_maintenance\" >A quick primer on test maintenance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/test-automation-maintenance\/#The_data_How_much_time_does_test_maintenance_actually_take\" >The data: How much time does test maintenance actually take?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/test-automation-maintenance\/#What_about_using_no-low-code_tools\" >What about using no-\/low-code tools?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/test-automation-maintenance\/#How_to_avoid_the_costs_of_test_maintenance\" >How to avoid the costs of test maintenance<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_quick_primer_on_test_maintenance\"><\/span>A quick primer on test maintenance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you push a code change to your app, it can break your tests.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you change your \u201cSign in\u201d button labels to \u201cLog in\u201d button labels and some of your tests are still looking for \u201cSign In\u201d buttons, then those tests will fail.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These broken tests present false-positive failures, because the failures reflect a problem with the tests, not a problem with your application. These failures can result from any sort of change to your application that isn\u2019t represented in your tests.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Test maintenance is the work done to update automated tests to reflect the latest, intended version of your app. <\/strong>The more you update your app, the more someone needs to either (a) proactively update your tests or (b) investigate and then fix your failing tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t perform regular maintenance, your automated test suite will quickly fall out of date. Then it won\u2019t effectively do its job \u2014 finding bugs and other issues in your app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the data will show, test maintenance can represent a time-consuming chunk of your automation efforts. And, between finding the root cause of test failures and then updating test automation scripts, it\u2019s no-one\u2019s idea of fun. It can take your engineers away from shipping code, and it often bottlenecks release pipelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_data_How_much_time_does_test_maintenance_actually_take\"><\/span>The data: How much time does test maintenance actually take?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Creating and maintaining tests in open-source automation frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright can be a drag on agile development teams aiming to ship fast and frequently. (Selenium is notoriously the most painful to maintain.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They all require someone with technical skills \u2014 like a developer or QA engineer \u2014 to dig around in code to find the offending part(s) of the test to fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, software developers often deliberately neglect to update their end-to-end (E2E) automated test scripts in favor of delivering more code. After all, most devs are incentivized to ship, and software teams have to ruthlessly prioritize their time and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No- and low-code test automation tools can make maintenance a bit easier, but they still carry maintenance costs. (More on that, shortly.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>According to our survey results, of the teams using open-source testing frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright, 55% spend at least 20 hours per week creating and maintaining automated tests.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s looking across all teams. In practice, the more complex your app is (measured by the number of non-QA engineers on your team), the more testing and test maintenance you\u2019ll need to do.And, at least for the moment, the data show that using AI doesn\u2019t provide any relief for teams automating tests with open-source frameworks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, \u200copen-source teams using AI spend slightly <em>more<\/em> time on test maintenance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"936\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-ai-vs-no-ai-1024x936.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-ai-vs-no-ai-1024x936.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-ai-vs-no-ai-300x274.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-ai-vs-no-ai-768x702.png 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-ai-vs-no-ai.png 1052w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_about_using_no-low-code_tools\"><\/span>What about using no-\/low-code tools?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The data show that using an intuitive, no-code tool like the Rainforest QA platform is up to 3x faster than using an open-source framework.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teams using no-code create and maintain automated test coverage in much less time than teams using open source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"913\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-nocode-vs-open-source-1024x913.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-nocode-vs-open-source-1024x913.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-nocode-vs-open-source-300x267.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-nocode-vs-open-source-768x685.png 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/time-spent-nocode-vs-open-source.png 1052w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For teams using open-source frameworks, the survey data showed that small dev teams in particular struggle to keep their automated test suites up to date. (Probably because small teams are the least likely to have the necessary procedures and policies in place. When maintenance isn\u2019t enforced, it can get ignored in favor of shipping code.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Because it\u2019s easier to create and update tests in a no-code tool, small teams are more able to keep their test suites updated, which makes the suites more reliable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"845\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/up-to-date-no-code-vs-open-source-1024x845.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2753\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/up-to-date-no-code-vs-open-source-1024x845.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/up-to-date-no-code-vs-open-source-300x248.png 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/up-to-date-no-code-vs-open-source-768x634.png 768w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/up-to-date-no-code-vs-open-source.png 1052w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"highlight-block_52037572bf36c559e61b24dde1912958\" class=\"highlight\">\r\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\">See more new research on the test automation technologies and practices that increase shipping velocity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/state-of-test-automation-2024\">Download the full report.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Of course, even when you\u2019re using an optimal no-code tool, the cost of test maintenance is non-zero. Someone(s) on your team will still need to dedicate some number of hours every week to keeping tests updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If anything, the tendency to underestimate the costs of test maintenance is worse when a software team is adopting a no- or low-code solution.<\/strong> Just because a tool is easier to use \u2014 much easier to use, in some cases \u2014 doesn\u2019t mean the costs of maintaining automated tests go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We saw this struggle all the time over the several years we sold a no-code test automation tool (before we enhanced it with AI and test automation services). We even have customers who signed on for our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/test-automation-services\">test automation services<\/a> because <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/case-studies\/push-security\">they couldn\u2019t stay on top of maintenance<\/a> themselves with the version of our easy-to-use, no-code tool lacking AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It\u2019s also important to note that not all no- and low-code tools are created equal<\/strong> \u2014 some are much more complex than others, making them more difficult to learn and use. According to our customers, TestComplete and Katalon are among the most complex. (On the other hand, you can read for yourself <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/testimonials\">what they have to say about Rainforest<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/katalon-ui.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/katalon-ui.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/katalon-ui-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/katalon-ui-768x412.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A test script in Katalon, which uses DOM code to represent page objects in the app.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_avoid_the_costs_of_test_maintenance\"><\/span>How to avoid the costs of test maintenance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearly there are significant time costs involved in test automation maintenance. And if you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/no-qa-team\">don\u2019t have a QA team<\/a>, there are other ways you want your engineers to spend their time and attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So here are the ways you can automate your end-to-end tests while keeping maintenance to an absolute minimum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Use a test automation tool that makes maintenance easier<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As we\u2019ve established, test maintenance is generally easier and faster in no-\/low-code tools than it is in open-source frameworks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But \u201cno-code\u201d isn\u2019t the same as \u201cintuitive,\u201d so make sure you\u2019re choosing a solution that\u2019s as easy as possible for your team to learn and use.&nbsp;We\u2019ve designed Rainforest to be the most intuitive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/no-code-test-automation\">no-code test automation solution<\/a> on the market. Anyone from your team can automate, interpret, and maintain automated tests without any training.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"666\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/test-steps-generated-with-ai.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2065\" style=\"width:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/test-steps-generated-with-ai.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/test-steps-generated-with-ai-278x300.jpg 278w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Part of a plain-English test script created in Rainforest QA, including test steps created by AI based on a simple prompt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Rainforest QA is an all-in-one test automation platform. It includes everything you need for the testing workflow, including an API and CLI to integrate tests into your CI\/CD pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Let AI handle maintenance for you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several ways in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/ai-accelerated-testing\">AI-powered testing<\/a> in Rainforest QA helps you avoid unnecessary maintenance efforts and increase your release velocity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reliably identifying elements in your app&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In most automated testing tools and frameworks, a slight change to an element in your app \u2014 like a button or form field \u2014 can break the relevant tests. Whether the element\u2019s visual appearance or naming convention in the behind-the-scenes DOM code has changed, a test relying on a single identifier (or \u201clocator\u201d) for the element can fail when it can no longer find a match for that identifier. (Automated tests that frequently fail due to minor changes like these even have a name: \u201cbrittle tests.\u201d)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tests in Rainforest are more robust because they rely on three different types of identifiers to locate elements in your web application. These include visual appearance, an automatically-identified DOM locator, and an element description automatically generated by our AI. A change in your app in any one of these aspects won\u2019t break your test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Automatically updating tests<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When you make intended changes to your web app\u2019s appearance or functionality, Rainforest\u2019s AI can often automatically update \u2014 or \u201cheal\u201d \u2014 the relevant test steps so you don\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Automated tests self-heal with generative AI in Rainforest QA\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pbr8lUT8vZM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"highlight-block_13a82a6d4ab4049f58fcba4b773ea95d\" class=\"highlight\">\r\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Wwzu4D3qrcw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a six-minute demo of Rainforest AI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including its auto-healing capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Determining the app changes that matter<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Rainforest\u2019s visual validation algorithm has been trained via machine learning to simulate the judgment of a human tester. If a visual change in your app\u2019s user interface is so minor that a human tester wouldn\u2019t notice or care, Rainforest will allow it to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, inconsequential visual changes to your app won\u2019t trigger false-positive test failures.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Write fewer, shorter test scripts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a core component of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/qa-testing-best-practices\">testing best practices<\/a> and methodologies we recommend to our customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fewer tests<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Designing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automation-test-coverage\">automated test coverage<\/a> is largely about prioritization. Apply the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/automation-test-coverage#The_Snowplow_Strategy_for_Test_Coverage\">Snowplow Strategy<\/a> and focus your automated regression tests on the most critical user paths and functionalities in your app.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once tests cover the most important flows, you\u2019ll see diminishing returns on additional tests. At some point, you\u2019re adding future, recurring maintenance costs in return for having confidence in functionalities that aren\u2019t all that important. As part of your testing process, recognize when that tradeoff isn\u2019t worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some rules of thumb:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Don\u2019t waste time testing functionalities that you wouldn\u2019t fix right away if they broke.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Treat your test coverage priorities like a product roadmap: \u201cnice to haves\u201d go in the backlog.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shorter tests<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The longer a test is, the more points of potential (false-positive) failure it presents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, make each test script as long as necessary and as short as possible. You\u2019ll enjoy faster test executions, an easier time debugging tests that fail, and ultimately, lower maintenance efforts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Don\u2019t use E2E test automation for new features still in active development<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Unit testing and integration testing are useful (and sensible!) early in the software development life cycle. But it doesn\u2019t make sense to create automated E2E tests for a new feature until it\u2019s largely stable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otherwise, you\u2019ll spend a disproportionate amount of time updating your tests to keep up with the feature. For these test cases, the flexibility of manual testing makes it a better choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Look for opportunities to re-use test snippets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most test automation frameworks and tools will offer a way to create \u201csnippets\u201d of test scripts that you can re-use across different tests. You can update a snippet once, and the change will replicate across all the tests where the snippet is embedded.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Rainforest, we call these \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/help.rainforestqa.com\/docs\/reusable-snippets\">reusable snippets<\/a>,\u201d and they\u2019re helpful for cutting down the time needed to create new tests and maintain existing ones. Common test cases for them include testing login and account creation flows.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without these snippets, if you updated your login sequence, for example, you\u2019d have to update every automated test case that covers your login sequence. With snippets, you only have to make an update in one place and it gets applied across the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you\u2019re writing your tests, be mindful of flows that tend to repeat \u2014 these will be good opportunities to save time with reusable snippets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Make debugging easier with detailed test results<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of the pain of the test maintenance process starts with debugging \u2014 figuring out what needs to be fixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Detailed test results will give you enough information to quickly figure out where and how each test is failing, and even suggest why it\u2019s failing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever test automation solution you use, we recommend \u2014 at a minimum \u2014 making sure you have access to the types of <a href=\"https:\/\/help.rainforestqa.com\/docs\/how-to-debug-automation-results\">test result details we provide in Rainforest<\/a>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Steps to reproduce failures<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Video recordings of tests<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Browser and HTTP logs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Use a done-for-you test automation service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want your team to avoid the costs of test maintenance altogether, Rainforest QA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/test-automation-services\">test automation service<\/a> will handle 100% of test creation and maintenance for you. So your team can focus on higher-value work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"665\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/test-maintenance-team-time.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/test-maintenance-team-time.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/test-maintenance-team-time-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/test-maintenance-team-time-768x567.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the service, we\u2019ll dedicate one or more experienced Test Managers to your account. Simply tell them what you want tested \u2014 type a message or record a video \u2014 and they\u2019ll take care of the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They\u2019ll embed in your workflow and comms tools (e.g., Linear, Jira, Slack, Teams), deeply learning your product and priorities.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They work in or near your time zone and speak fluent English, so communication is easy and efficient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They\u2019ve all worked with us and our platform as quality assurance professionals since at least 2017 and undergo regular training and evaluations.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They\u2019re all consistently highly rated by customers \u2014 otherwise they wouldn\u2019t still be with us.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The Test Managers also proactively review your test failures, updating the tests that need it and sending you the legitimate bugs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, they work within Rainforest\u2019s no-code, AI-accelerated platform, so they\u2019ll be able to create and maintain your automated tests as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pricing starts at a quarter of the cost of hiring an experienced QA engineer.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/talk-to-sales\">Talk to us<\/a> to learn more and get a personalized demo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>See new data on the costs of test automation maintenance and learn how you can avoid them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-test-automation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2783,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions\/2783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainforestqa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}