The Hidden Costs of Test Automation Maintenance (and How to Reduce Them)

Test automation is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. But beneath the promise of faster releases and streamlined testing lies a reality few anticipate: automation isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it solution. Beneath the surface, test maintenance poses some hefty hidden costs.

If not handled well, these costs can snowball, derailing both budgets and timelines. A recent Gartner report mentions that 16% of the respondents feel high maintenance costs is one of the significant challenges to automated software testing.

This was the focal point of Quality Horizon Season 2, Episode 2, a recent roundtable featuring Hemalatha Murugesan (Associate Vice President, LTIMindtree), Gandharv Madhan (Creator, Salesforce Testing Guy), and Lucio Daza (VP of Product Marketing, Katalon). Their collective expertise unraveled a wealth of insights into the challenges of test maintenance and actionable strategies to mitigate them.

Test maintenance is a marathon, not a sprint

Hema aptly described test maintenance as a “marathon, not a sprint.” She elaborated on the analogy of going to the gym to lose weight, “It’s not like I lose one pound and I’m done with it. It has to be consistent.” QA teams often jump headfirst into automation, dazzled by promises of efficiency, but overlook the long-term effort needed to maintain their frameworks and scripts.

Here’s why test maintenance gets tricky:

• Accumulating test debt: Over time, in enterprise environments, test suites swell to 20,000–30,000 test cases, many of which become redundant.
• Hardcoded values: Static test data and brittle scripts make updates frustrating.
• Monolithic frameworks: Legacy frameworks often struggle to adapt to evolving tech landscapes.
• Knowledge silos: Poor handovers and lack of governance create bottlenecks when team members rotate.

Think of test maintenance like fitness. You can’t just hit the gym for a month and call it a day. Consistent effort and strategic upkeep are key.

Hidden costs of poor test maintenance

“Maintenance is like a subscription you pay for but rarely use effectively,” said Gandharv, cutting straight to the heart of the issue. He outlined five key consequences of neglecting test maintenance:

1. Bugs in production: Defect leakage due to outdated tests impacts user experience and brand trust.
2. Missed deadlines: Poorly maintained test cases lead to delays and escalations.
3. Skyrocketing costs: The ROI of automation diminishes as maintenance costs spiral.
4. Reputation hits: Inefficient frameworks can result in client dissatisfaction and lost business opportunities.
5. Blind spots: Lack of transparency hampers the ability to assess true business impacts.

Strategies to lower the test maintenance burden

How can enterprises sidestep these pitfalls? Both Hema and Gandharv emphasized a proactive approach to test maintenance rather than a reactive one, rooted in planning, modularization, and governance. Here’s what they recommend:

• Plan for maintenance from day 1: Don’t just focus on test creation; think long-term. Hema’s mantra? “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Include test maintenance costs and processes in your automation strategy right from the start.

• Modularize and optimize test suites: Break your test cases into manageable, reusable modules. Regularly review and eliminate redundant or outdated tests. In one case, Hema’s team identified that 15% of their test cases were redundant, saving significant time and effort not working on executing and maintaining them.

• Use the right tools and frameworks: One size doesn’t fit all. Evaluate tools based on scalability, compatibility, and long-term ROI. For example, choosing a tool that doesn’t support your application’s tech stack can lead to costly workarounds. The Test Automation Buyer’s Guide helps you avoid these pitfalls and make the right choice. 

• Enforce coding standards and governance: Implement standard coding practices and establish clear governance metrics. This ensures consistency and eases collaboration across teams.

• Prioritize knowledge management: Knowledge silos kill efficiency. Maintain proper documentation and enforce structured handovers to avoid chaos during team transitions.

• Conduct regular test audits

Regularly review and refine your test cases. Gandharv’s advice: “Testing isn’t just about finding bugs; it’s about assessing risk and improving quality.” Audits ensure your test suite remains lean, relevant, and effective.

• Invest in training and collaboration: Encourage testers to adopt a user-first mindset. As Gandharv puts it, “Think like an admin but act like a user.” Breaking silos and fostering collaboration ensures holistic quality.

The big picture: Frugal automation

Hema introduced the concept of “Frugal automation”, an approach designed to balance efficiency and sustainability in test automation. She says, at its core, frugal automation” helps reduce the maintenance effort while addressing sustainability factors like minimizing resource consumption and carbon footprints. It’s a lean and thoughtful approach that ensures you’re not overspending on automation efforts while still meeting long-term objectives.”

Insights from real-life lessons in test maintenance

Case study 1: Scaling beyond monolithic frameworks

A large financial institution struggled with a bloated, monolithic test suite of 35,000 cases built on a legacy framework. By decomposing outdated test cases and prioritizing reusable modules, they turned a 6-week regression cycle into a 2-week one.

Case study 2: Unified framework for efficiency

A U.S.-based airline faced inefficiencies running separate frameworks for iOS and Android testing. Consolidating into a single framework reduced its test execution time by 75%.

Final thoughts

Test maintenance isn’t just a checkbox; it’s a strategic pillar of successful automation. By prioritizing planning, modularization, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, QA teams can transform their test maintenance burden into a competitive advantage. It’s not just about automating—it’s about maintaining automation that works. 

As Hema summed up perfectly, “It’s a marathon. Pace yourself, plan wisely, and the results will follow.”

Watch the full episode here ->