Increasing test complexity led the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors to look for an automated solution

At RICS, we embarked on a strategic initiative to enhance our Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) environment to better support evolving business needs. This included introducing new workflows, modifying forms, and adding custom fields to optimise internal processes and improve user experience across departments.

As the scope of changes expanded, so too did the complexity of testing. Our team recognised that manual regression testing was becoming increasingly time consuming, repetitive, and difficult to scale. With each new release, the effort required to ensure core functionality remained intact was growing significantly. We needed a more efficient, sustainable way to support frequent changes and reduce the risk of introducing regressions.

We evaluated several automation tools and selected mabl, a low-code, intelligent test automation platform, as the most suitable solution for our requirements. Mabl’s ease of use, environment flexibility, and built-in reporting capabilities aligned well with both our technical capabilities and business expectations.

Getting Started with mabl

mabl’s low-code approach meant our QA specialists and even non-developers could quickly start building automated tests without needing deep programming expertise. Within weeks, we had developed an extensive regression test suite that:

• Validated the correct creation, update, and saving of forms and custom fields.
• Verified data integrity across records and workflows.
• Tested automated workflow triggers and business logic.
• Simulated end-to-end user journeys, covering core use cases in D365.

This test suite is now executed automatically after every deployment, significantly reducing our reliance on manual checks.

Environment Flexibility

Our Dynamics 365 development process involves several environments, such as, Development, UAT, and Pre-production. One of the standout features of mabl was its ability to easily run tests across multiple environments. With minimal configuration, we could redirect our test suites to point to UAT or pre-production instances, enabling us to assess environment readiness and identify issues well before they reached production.

Improved Efficiency and Confidence

Implementing mabl has had a measurable impact on our delivery process:

• Test coverage has increased, with a broader set of scenarios now being automatically validated as part of every release.
• Manual effort has significantly reduced regression testing that once took several days is now completed in hours or less, with consistent results.
• Deployment confidence has improved thanks to early detection of issues and automated test validation; we are able to release with greater assurance and reduced risk.
• Faster feedback loops have allowed our development teams to resolve issues early, improving both the speed and quality of delivery.

Clear Reporting and Visibility

mabl’s reporting dashboard has provided valuable insight into the health of our tests and the system under test. Test runs are clearly visualised, failures are easy to diagnose, and historical data enables us to spot patterns and track improvements over time. These reports have been particularly useful when sharing test results with project stakeholders and business teams.

Clear ROI and Measurable Impact

The return on investment (ROI) from adopting Mabl has been both immediate and measurable. Per sprint, we have seen:

• 54x Increased test execution time per sprint.
• 108 hours of manual testing effort saved.
• $2,077 in direct cost savings per sprint.
• 98.2% reduction in manual regression testing.

This allowed our QA and delivery teams to reallocate time towards exploratory testing, quality improvement initiatives, and strategic tasks, further increasing team productivity and confidence in every release.

A Successful Launch

We are happy to report that our efforts culminated in a successful launch to the live environment, with no critical issues or showstoppers encountered. This achievement reflects the robustness of our testing approach, the effectiveness of automation with mabl, and the collaborative efforts of our delivery teams.

The Outcome

Adopting mabl has been a key milestone in our quality assurance transformation. It has helped RICS:

• Establish a scalable, maintainable approach to automated testing.
• Reduce testing effort while increasing the accuracy and reliability of results.
• Support multiple environments with ease, ensuring better readiness before go-live.

mabl continues to play a vital role in supporting both new feature rollouts and regular maintenance cycles. It has become an integral part of our delivery pipeline, helping us uphold high standards of quality while embracing agility and innovation.