Automotive enterprises have a lot riding on their technologies. Design and assembly processes are increasingly dependent on enterprise applications to help ensure consistency and efficiency. But some of these applications are experiencing rapid updates, creating new challenges for change management and quality control. That’s why automotive leaders are turning to test automation.

In 2015, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. began its automation journey. To ensure implementation was a success, the automaker chose Worksoft Certify®, an intelligent and scalable automation platform designed for modern enterprises. Certify enabled Honda R&D to confirm SAP system quality so quickly that the investment in the platform appreciated returns even faster than stakeholders had initially forecasted.

The Challenge Presented by SAP’s Three-Month Patch Cycle

At the time Honda R&D adopted Worksoft Certify, SAP HANA was on a three-month patch cycle. Since the company’s manual regression testing efforts involved a five-week process that affected nearly three dozen users, it was difficult for the automotive company to implement the required support package updates in a timely manner. Honda R&D hoped that by implementing Worksoft Certify, they would be able to automate end-to-end regression testing instead.

Honda R&D began by testing Worksoft Certify with their procure-to-pay process across various systems in an end-to-end business flow. The results were impressive. The company’s previous regression testing software automated 277 test steps over a period of three months, whereas the platform powered by Worksoft Certify was able to automate 323 steps in a single week. It also significantly increased the rate of automation from one step per hour of work to 13 steps per hour. The considerable difference more than justified the investment in Worksoft, and Honda R&D proceeded with full SAP HANA migration.

Worksoft Certify Produces Quantifiable Results

Full rollout of Worksoft Certify across the SAP HANA platform allowed Honda R&D to automate 5,463 test steps at a rate of 28 steps per hour of work. In addition, the company was able to:

  • Achieve 70% of coverage in five weeks with just one staff resource
  • Save 680 hours per test run compared to manual testing
  • Keep pace with the frequent SAP HANA software updates

With Worksoft Certify, the automaker was able to effortlessly validate business processes with no manual effort, allowing them to innovate more quickly and efficiently deliver value to the business. Considering how frequently Honda R&D needed to execute regression testing for SAP HANA with the three-month patch cycle, Certify generated significant time and cost savings for the business.

Worksoft Certify Continually Returns Value to Honda R&D

Honda R&D was able to use Worksoft Certify to automate mundane clerical processes and repetitive manual activities such as issuing and processing engineering design changes—tasks that previously required the hiring of temporary staff to complete. In the past, for example, it took Honda R&D roughly 30 days to track and analyze National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data for one nameplate. Now it takes just three seconds to analyze and upload 30 nameplates.

Replacing manual efforts with efficient automation through Worksoft Certify not only helped Honda R&D accelerate its SAP HANA migration, but also enabled the company to support strategic initiatives involving the Internet of Things (IoT), big data projects, and real-time reporting. The investment in Certify continues to return dividends as swapping manual testing for automation frees team members to focus on visionary endeavors with a broad business impact and allows the company to take advantage of newer technologies that hadn’t even been considered initially. Perhaps the greatest benefit gained has been the peace of mind Worksoft brings as it gives stakeholders the confidence to move faster and innovate more quickly, delivering even greater value to the business.

To find out more about how Worksoft Certify automation can help fast-track your organization’s digital transformation, use the resources below: