Telecommunication companies are moving towards even more digitalized and agile ways of working. They are expanding their business in other fields, such as television, thus moving further away from the traditional telecommunications model. Recently, Telia has become the largest television company in the Nordics. One of the their main products in the field of television is channel packages, which allow customers to access specific television content.
In this study, a benefit analysis for Telia Finland Oyj was conducted to inspect the benefits that test automation brings for the channel package testing process. 8 interviews in total were conducted with Telia employees with knowledge on channel packages. To receive both a business and a technical perspective, the interviewees were divided into two groups fitting their expertise. In general, test automation was seen as a useful tool. The main business related benefits of test automation mentioned were a faster and cheaper testing process, and a faster time-to-market. It was also seen that test automation could help achieve a more efficient testing process, and increase confidence in test automation.
Based on the interview results, an epic was defined and analyzed according to the principles of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). This included describing the solution in detail and defining a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). By using example variables and generalized values, several calculations were made to present a framework on the costs of implementing the MVP and the estimated reduction of channel package testing costs. By utilizing the MVP as a part of the channel package testing process, the return on investment (ROI) was not as desirable as expected. With more automated tests compared to the number of test cases, combined with regular use of test automation, the investment would pay itself back and start generating additional savings faster. Based on the epic analysis, a Lean Business Case was defined.
