From Testing Gridlock to Quality Highway: The Success Story of a US Automaker 

Ever feel like you’re stuck in testing traffic? That’s where a major US auto manufacturer was—$30B+ in revenue, but their IT testing was a mess! Think late-stage defects, costly disruptions, and way too much manual testing. Their complex systems (SAP, vendor portals, you name it) and “test everything” approach were a roadblock to efficiency.  

Enter Qyrus! This unified testing platform was like a green light to move their testing into hyperspeed! The automaker reimagined SAP testing with Qyrus‘ Agentic Testing capabilities.

The result? Less risk, faster releases, and a well-oiled testing machine. Qyrus didn’t just tweak their testing; it transformed it! Let’s dive deeper. 

Company Background: The Client

The client is a prominent United States-based automobile manufacturer, demonstrating a substantial scale of operations with annual revenues exceeding $30 billion. As a major entity in the automotive industry, the client’s operations encompass a range of intricate processes, including design, manufacturing, supply chain management, sales, and after-sales service, contributing to the complexity of their technological environment.    

The need for a robust testing solution was driven by frequent system upgrades, a high volume of ongoing projects, and complex business processes. The confluence of frequent upgrades and multiple parallel projects amplifies the complexity of the IT environment, demanding rigorous testing to ensure seamless integration and functionality.    

Moreover, the client’s business processes are characterized by complexity, often spanning multiple systems and devices, including SAP, vendor portals, and handheld devices. This multi-system environment introduces additional layers of intricacy to their operations, requiring sophisticated testing strategies and tools to ensure consistent data flow and functional integrity across heterogeneous systems.    

Within this operational framework, certain business processes are particularly critical. A key example is the Capital Goods Purchase process, a strategically important process involving an annual investment exceeding $150 million. This process involves multiple departments and a complex, 15-level approval workflow, with each approval requiring distinct user credentials based on the purchase order department and amount. The execution of this process necessitates numerous validations across SAP S/4HANA and Ariba.    

Roadblocks to Efficient and Effective Testing 

The client faced significant challenges in its SAP testing processes. These challenges hindered efficient change implementation, system stability, and impacted operational costs and project timelines. Key roadblocks included:    

• Frequent Upgrades & Releases: Continuous system upgrades and new feature deployments created a substantial testing burden and the risk of production defects.    

• Production Defects & Costly Fixes: Defects frequently surfaced in the production environment, causing disruptions and costly resolutions.    

• Late Business Team Involvement: Business teams were involved late in the testing lifecycle, potentially leading to rework and project delays.    

• Excessive Testing Effort: Testing activities consumed significant effort due to: 

• Negligible test automation.    

• A “test everything” approach.    

• Time-consuming test data setup.    

• Lack of a standardized testing methodology.    

• Complex business processes spanning multiple systems (e.g., Capital Goods Purchase).    

These challenges collectively hindered the client’s ability to maintain system quality and deliver changes efficiently.  

 The Solution: A Unified Testing Platform 

To effectively address the identified testing challenges, the client strategically implemented Qyrus as a unified testing platform across their software development lifecycle. Following a successful Pilot that demonstrated Qyrus’ capabilities, the platform was deployed to provide comprehensive Web, Mobile, SAP, and API testing services. 

• Extensive Training & Change Management: Recognizing the need for effective adoption, an extensive training and change management program was institutionalized for client teams, tailored to specific roles within the organization. This program was crucial for ensuring that both business and IT teams could effectively leverage Qyrus’ capabilities, facilitating a smooth transition and fostering a culture of proactive testing.    

• Platform-Guided & Standardized Processes: Qyrus facilitated the implementation of platform-guided testing processes, bringing much-needed structure and consistency to the client’s testing efforts. By providing a structured environment and predefined workflows, Qyrus helped to establish standardized testing methodologies, addressing the previous lack of a system-driven approach and improving overall efficiency.    

• AI-Driven Identification: To move away from an inefficient “test everything” approach, Qyrus’ AI capabilities were leveraged to identify critical and complex business processes. This AI-driven analysis of the client’s SAP landscape enabled a more focused and prioritized approach to testing, allowing resources to be directed towards areas where failures would have the most significant impact.    

• Automation Candidate Determination: Building on the identification of critical and complex processes, Qyrus AI further assisted in determining optimal candidates for test automation. By analyzing factors such as testing frequency and process stability, this intelligent selection of automation candidates ensured that automation efforts were focused on areas that would yield the greatest benefits, addressing the challenge of negligible test automation.    

• “Shift Left” Approach: A key strategic shift enabled by Qyrus was the adoption of a “shift left” testing approach, leveraging Qyrus AI to move testing activities earlier in the software development lifecycle. This proactive approach allowed the client to identify and address potential issues much earlier in the process, reducing the cost and effort associated with fixing defects found later in the lifecycle, particularly in production.    

• Qyrus SAP Scribe AI Model Tuning: To enhance the effectiveness of automated testing, the Qyrus SAP Scribe AI model was fine-tuned with client-specific process information, enabling the automated generation of tests. This customization significantly reduced the manual effort involved in test case design and creation, accelerating the test automation process and ensuring that generated tests aligned closely with the client’s SAP environment and business needs.    

• Qyrus Test Data Management: Addressing the challenge of time-consuming test data setup, the Qyrus Test Data Management solution was implemented to streamline the process. This solution facilitated faster access to appropriate test data, reducing delays in the testing cycle and improving the quality and coverage of tests by enabling testing with more realistic scenarios.    

• Qyrus Component Module: To tackle the complexity of business processes spanning multiple systems, the Qyrus Component module was deployed for cross-system testing. This capability enabled the definition and execution of test scenarios across disparate systems, validating the integrity of data and process flow across the entire business process and ensuring that changes in one system did not negatively impact others.    

This comprehensive implementation of Qyrus aimed to streamline testing operations, improve efficiency, and ultimately enhance software quality across the client organization. 

Implementation and Adoption 

The successful implementation and adoption of Qyrus involved several key factors: 

• Successful Pilot: A Pilot evaluation demonstrated Qyrus’ value in addressing the client’s testing challenges, building confidence and securing buy-in for broader adoption. 

• Extensive Training and Change Management: A role-based training program and structured change management were crucial for ensuring widespread user adoption of the Qyrus platform and its methodologies. This equipped users with the necessary skills and promoted a culture of proactive and automated testing. 

• Platform-Guided Processes: Qyrus facilitated standardized testing across the organization by providing a structured environment with predefined workflows and best practices. This streamlined the testing lifecycle, ensured consistency, and improved collaboration.  

This approach focused on demonstrating value, enabling users, and standardizing processes to ensure effective Qyrus adoption and implementation. 

The Qyrus Effect: A Transformation in Outcomes 

VI. Benefits 

The deployment of Qyrus yielded significant benefits for the automobile manufacturer: 

• Foundation for Mature Testing: Qyrus facilitated a mature testing approach encompassing: 
  •  Technology: Codeless test automation and reusable test assets.
  • Process: Standardized testing processes and CI/CD integration.
  • People: Role-based training and enhanced collaboration. 

• Adoption of Testing Best Practices: Qyrus enabled a shift from a “test everything” approach to a more strategic methodology focused on critical and impacted areas. 

• Access to Scalable Test Infrastructure: Qyrus provided an on-demand, scalable test infrastructure, offering flexibility and adaptability. 

• Reduction in Production Disruptions & Faster Release Cycles: Qyrus facilitated more comprehensive testing, leading to fewer production disruptions and accelerated software release cycles. 

• Significant Savings in Time and Effort: Qyrus delivered substantial time and effort savings for IT and business teams. 
  • Business teams reported an 85% reduction in testing efforts.
  • The Capital PO Scenario demonstrated an 88% effort saving. 

Details of Capital Purchase Order Process Transformation 

• Complexity: The Capital PO (Purchase Order) process was inherently complex. It involved a large number of users (12), a high volume of steps (19), and numerous screens (80).   

• Efficiency Gains: The comparison between manual testing and testing with Qyrus demonstrated a dramatic reduction in the time and effort required. Manual testing of this process took 34 minutes, while Qyrus completed the same testing in just 4 minutes.    

• Impact: This translates to an 88% reduction in effort.  

• Improved Knowledge Management: Qyrus served as a central repository for processes and test cases, enhancing knowledge management and reusability. 

• Single Platform for All Testing Needs: Qyrus provided a unified platform for web, mobile, API, and SAP testing, streamlining processes and improving collaboration. 

These benefits demonstrate Qyrus’ impact on enhancing testing efficiency, reducing disruptions, and improving overall software quality. 

Conclusion: Driving Strategic Value Through Testing Transformation 

The implementation of Qyrus delivered a transformative impact on the automobile manufacturer’s testing capabilities. This transition involved a shift from a potentially reactive and inefficient testing model to a proactive, automated, and standardized approach. 

Qyrus’ Agentic AI-powered automation and comprehensive testing modules enabled the client to overcome the complexities of their SAP environment and achieve strategic advantages, including: 

• Reduced Risk: Proactive defect identification and resolution minimized production disruptions. 

• Improved Efficiency: Reusable automation and intelligent test orchestration led to significant time savings (e.g., 40% reduction in testing time). 

• Faster Time-to-Market: Streamlined testing accelerated release cycles. 

• Better Resource Utilization: Empowering non-technical teams and automating routine tasks optimized resource allocation. 

This transformation, driven by Qyrus, established a more robust and reliable technology foundation, better positioning the automobile manufacturer for continued growth and innovation. 

Facing challenges with SAP testing, production disruptions, or slow-release cycles? This leading automobile manufacturer overcame these hurdles with Qyrus. See how our unified, AI-powered platform can provide the solution you need. Get a free trial today or book a demo with us.