Test Automation is Breaking New Ground
In the talk “Test Automation is Breaking New Ground,” David Grassmugg, Head of Testing at twinformatics GmbH, and Reinhard Schüller, Sales Manager at Objentis shared fascinating insights into the transformation of test automation at one of the largest IT service providers for insurance companies in the CEE region.
Twinformatics was founded in 2005, employs around 500 people, and generated approximately 210 million euros in revenue in 2023. “We do everything – from network cables and laptops to complex insurance solutions like SAP or LifeFactory,” Grassmugg explained, describing the wide range of their services.
However, the effort involved in test automation had long been high: “Test automation means work – especially maintenance.” Manual testing isn’t scalable, of course, but even script-based automation often becomes time-consuming when systems change or undergo technical migrations. “That was our maintenance trap,” said Grassmugg.
In 2021, twinformatics started working with drvless, an AI-based solution that executes tests “like a human would – purely visually, without accessing the code.” The system only requires HDMI and USB to process screen output and input signals. “What you see is what you test – and that’s enough.”
This new approach enabled broader involvement: “Suddenly, business departments could join the conversation, because they understood the tests – natural language instead of code.” New test cases could be implemented up to 15% faster in legacy systems, and maintenance efforts decreased by up to 30% in some areas.
Looking ahead, twinformatics plans to make greater use of ideation – automated test case generation based on requirements, screenshots, or documentation. Test coverage in outdated systems is also expected to increase significantly.
“We have around 300 systems – and in many of them, there are still blank spots we can finally automate with drvless.”