Conducting a proof of value (POV) for any new technology tool can be a daunting task. Mala Punyani, Salesforce DevOps Manager at Crowdstrike and a Provar champion has done this many times in her career. In this resource, we will discuss strategies for evaluating a  Salesforce test automation to help you scale quality at your organization. 

First, remember that most trial licenses usually last two weeks or less. So, it’s essential to have a sharp plan to discover if a test automation tool is going to fit the needs of your organization. Mala offered five steps for reaching a well-informed decision by making the most out of this trial period.

1. Develop a POV plan

When developing a POV for a new tool, always remember the potential to be disruptive to a team’s workflow. Outlining a detailed plan gives your testing team a clear picture of what to expect and important milestones. Many people go into a trial period not knowing what they need in a test automation tool. Be clear on what you want to achieve in this limited period.

2. Prioritize your needs

An automation tool needs to work for your current needs and then scale to support growth – define your success criteria as a team. Remember to consider how the tool will work for not just your current workflow and team but scale with future teams, too.

3. Determine your use cases

Limiting the number of use cases you will automate during the POV is wise. Specifically, choose the top 3 use cases that are part of the daily flow of the primary Salesforce users in your organization.

4. Identify the stakeholders

When deciding whom from your organization should participate in the evaluation, consider who is writing the test cases and who is running the test cases. Ensure the testers you choose have adequate time in their work schedules to devote to the evaluation. Going over the plan with them will help them gain buy-in and ensure they understand the expectations and the POV timeline.

Success may look different to stakeholders, and you will want a feedback system. It’s good to include product managers for business implications, as well as members of the development team.

Understanding the skill level required for the testers evaluating the automation tool will help anticipate the learning curve and set realistic expectations. Your organization likely won’t want to hire new people or completely retrain its current team because a new automation tool has been adopted. Your current team should be able to start working with the tool immediately without writing a lot of new code to implement it. 

On the other hand, knowing how easy it is to customize the test automation tool is helpful because some of your more savvy testers will want to write their modules. Customer support can help your team understand the broader capabilities of the tool beyond the use cases you’re working on during your trial. 

5. Engage with customer support

Customer support is one of the main reasons you’re investing in a test automation tool. Set up regular calls with customer support and Solution Engineers for vendor tools during your trial license period to assess their long-term use cases with the tool. Please do your research to find out what other customers are saying about the services they provide.

Other Considerations

Mala suggests companies ask other questions when considering a testing automation tool. One is, what other software can the tool integrate with besides Salesforce?

Avoiding the need for multiple automation tools streamlines the process. Think about how the tool can extend beyond your teams. It can bring greater efficiency to other business areas you may not have initially considered.

Also, consider how the tool will help your teams scale for the future.

Lastly, when testing automation tools for Salesforce, ask how the tool handles changes, updates, and the annual releases of Salesforce. There are always people who are resistant to change. The best way to handle these colleagues goes back to Mala’s first advice: have a plan. Make it a priority to understand their concerns and address them in your regular communication throughout the testing period.

Knowing the benefits of adopting an automation testing tool is crucial. Showing results along the way builds confidence. This confidence is essential when you decide to invest in the tool.

Expressing the cost of maintaining the status quo is important, too. Comparing current results to what the tool can achieve gives hesitant adopters a reason to feel excited.

If you’d like to watch my conversation with Mala, our interview is available on YouTube.

Ready to start a Proof of Value with Provar? Book a VIP session with our Salesforce continuous testing experts today.