Enterprise Testing Made Smarter: Low-Code and No-Code Test Automation

Low-code and no-code technology enable businesses to meet the ever-increasing software demand, especially when the need for software solutions exceeds available skilled developers. 

This technology makes automated test design and development easier for non-technical users like marketers and sales executives. At the same time, it helps technical users reduce the time required for testing by automating mundane testing tasks and ensuring all tests are performed with precision and accuracy.

Low- and no-code test automation increases efficiency, saves costs, and improves quality control. It's a great option for any business looking to streamline its testing process with little or no technical help.

What is the impact of low-code and no-code on business-critical applications and testing?

As companies adopt agile and DevOps processes at scale to deploy changes faster, leveraging test automation has become imperative. Enterprise apps will sooner or later adopt low-code/no-code (LC/NC) to accelerate business processes and reduce dependency on developers – increasing both the number of apps to be tested and the need for codeless testing.​ ​

When it comes to enterprise testing of ERP systems and critical packaged applications, the impact on business processes is so high that non-professional testers have to be involved to help with testing.

Given the high testing demand, business users need to become more accustomed to working with end-to-end testing tools as professional testers.  Adopting user-friendly, intuitive software testing tools is key in helping non-technical users understand the testing process and reducing dependency on IT.

While manual testing can be dramatically improved with a modern test management platform, developing a no-code approach to automated functional and business process testing is also needed for ERP and packaged application users.

Business teams can easily create automated tests by using a simple tool that captures all users' interactions and can repeat the scenarios on-demand as soon as they need to leverage it.

No-code test automation optimizes your testing workload

Low-code or no-code test automation can perfectly adapt to business needs and can be implemented quickly. The advantages of using these tools are many.

• Increased agility: No-code automation removes complexities from everyday business processes and replaces them with pre-built modules or workflows. It becomes easier to get more done in less time. The simple drag-and-drop development ability of no-code platforms makes updating and redesigning applications effortless.
• Reduced project costs: Low-code/no-code test automation supports automated and recorded processes that empower non-developers to easily develop and test apps.
• Extra focus on user experience: LC/NC platforms let you automate repetitive tasks and focus more on customer needs.
• Efficiency: Software test automation with low-code or no-code framework ensures maximum testing efficiency. Testing doesn’t just become automated but more agile. Like business analysts, people with minimal technical expertise can test more efficiently using LC/NC framework.
• Scalability: Low-code/no-code test automation tools accelerate processes and help businesses scale their testing and automation efforts by deploying the ready-to-use elements within their test automation suites. 
• Improved collaboration: LC/NC drives effective cooperation between the QA team and the employees with minimal technical expertise.

Are no-code and low-code the same?

The biggest misconception: low-code and no-code are the same thing. While low-code platforms don't require much coding, they do require some technical knowledge to work with. You need IT support in training and implementation to benefit from low-code development platforms.

No-code is specially designed for business users, as it doesn't need technical knowledge to operate. They're typically used to save time and cost, drive innovation and revenue growth, and enhance customer experience. 

But just like low-code development platforms, no-code's ease of use doesn’t mean you can implement it into your operational infrastructure without strategy or care. No task, employee, department, or function exists alone. Every aspect operates symbiotically.

Low-code and no code for complex ERP landscapes

Let's take ERP, for example, to help you understand why business users are needed for test automation and how LC/NC helps them.

ERP is integrated with other applications, especially in companies with complex landscapes, such as Salesforce, Successfactor, Workday, and ServiceNow. The testing process is complex due to multiple dependencies and different technologies.

ERP is now shifting to enterprise applications, complemented by an ecosystem that includes new capabilities for application platforms, integration, and low-code/no-code development.

Automating ERP business processes requires a strong understanding of business operations. Test automation specialists cannot create robust scenarios without involving business users.

Organizations need to change their applications faster. Business users are paramount in this process but don't have the time to test or the skills to automate testing. In this case, shifting to no-code ERP enables a quicker shift to solutions tailored to the individual who needs them.

When choosing a low-code or no-code test automation tool, what should you look for?

Low-code or no-code automation simplifies the ERP testing process by allowing anyone to create a test, regardless of the programming experience. LC/NC tools' self-healing AI algorithms drastically reduce the cost of creating and executing tests and have the following features:

• User-friendly: Suitable for all users with a quick learning curve for main concepts
• Wide-ranged: Include a rich set of features for script editing and data-driven capabilities
• Self-healing: AI-based, self-healing capabilities for easier script maintenance
• Cross-technology support: Have automated tests of end-to-end business processes across multiple technologies
• Test management capabilities: Minimum dependency and maximum flexibility on external systems for test management activities
• Test documentation and compliance: Rich analytics and detailed documentation of test executions for compliance 

Benefits of using the right low-code and no-code test automation tool

Low-code and no-code automation tools speed up business processes, reduce errors, and limit repetitive work. Most low-code and no-code automation tools are AI-powered and scalable and offer the following benefits:

• Time-saving: Automated testing limits repetitive tasks and increases ROI. Automating tests with non-technical teams eliminates dependency on development teams, and testers don't have to spend time coding or learning to code.
• Speed: Codeless automation testing, by default, speeds up the development pace and offers a user-friendly interface that lets testers learn it quickly.
• Not repetitive: LC/NC tools free you to be innovative and creative and do more of what inspires you.
• Cross-collaboration: Low and no-code test automation works across teams and departments and closes the skills gap. The best way to automate real business scenarios is by involving business users in the process.
• Integrations: No-code automation can integrate with and automate your ERP, such as SAP ECC and S/4 HANA systems and cloud-based applications.

LC/NC to the rescue

Low-code and no-code platforms help build large projects with small components. These tools help focus dedicated automation resources on higher-priority and more complex automation.

Ideally, traditional automation and LC/NC tools can be combined to maximize the speed and quality of software delivered to end users. Additionally, anyone from technical experts to regular business users can run the tests, so you can easily keep track of your applications.

Software testing can take different forms. Learn more about beta testing – the testing performed by real product users.