Champions Articles

The Pain Point (a story we’ve all lived) It’s Friday afternoon, and your team is on the eleventh-hour push to ship a release. Everything has been working all week — the build is green, the smoke tests passed, and you’re finally feeling the relief of a job well done. Then it happens. A test suite that has been stable for weeks suddenly fails in dozens of places, and the failures don’t make sense. You didn’t change anything. The application didn’t change. The environment didn’t change — or so you thought. But somewhere in the stack, something moved. Maybe the browser auto-updated overnight. Maybe a Windows patch was applied. Maybe the CI agent updated. Maybe the automation tool itself installed a minor version update without you realizing. Now the release is blocked. The team is waiting. The deadline is looming. And you’re left in the middle of a nightmare: “Everything was fine… and now nothing works.” That’s not a automation tool problem. That’s not a browser problem. That’s not even an automation script problem. It’s a dependency chain problem — and it’s the most common cause of “suddenly broken” automation. The Real Issue: You’re Managing a Chain, Not a Single Product Automation tools are only one link in a longer chain that includes: OS or security updates Browsers and runtimes Test tools (TestComplete, ReadyAPI, etc.) Drivers, plugins, integrations The application under test CI/CD agents and infrastructure When one link moves ahead, the chain breaks. So a “successful upgrade” isn’t just installing a new version — it’s ensuring the rest of the chain can support it. The Goal: Upgrade Intentionally, Not Accidentally Upgrades should be treated as controlled change, not something that “just happens.” The upgrade decision should be based on: Need: Do we require a feature or fix? Risk: What can break? Environment readiness: Is the stack aligned? Rollback plan: Can we recover quickly? If the answer is “no” or “not sure,” it’s perfectly valid to wait. Early Adoption: Not a Risk — a Strategy Many teams avoid early adoption entirely, waiting for others to report issues. That’s passive. A stronger approach is: Create internal early adopters intentionally. What that means: A pilot environment is designated for early upgrades Early adoption is expected, not accidental Findings are documented and shared This turns early adoption into risk discovery, not risk exposure. The One True Anchor: Test Environments Across all team sizes, the same rule applies: If you don’t control your test environment, you don’t control upgrade risk. The test environment is the contract that defines what “works.” Environment best practices: Lock OS, browser, and runtime versions per environment Disable auto-updates where possible Treat environments as managed assets Separate: Sandbox / pilot Test / QA CI/CD execution When environments are stable, upgrades become predictable. Scaling Upgrade Practices by Team Size Upgrade strategy changes with organizational scope. Here’s how: Stand-alone automation users You are the early adopter Backups are essential A spare VM can be your pilot environment Rollback must be quick and simple Small teams Use a pilot machine Freeze browser versions used in automation Stagger upgrades across the team Keep a lightweight shared change log Large teams / enterprises Environments are contracts CI/CD agents should upgrade last Forced upgrades (security, browsers) are inevitable Change visibility matters more than speed Browser Updates: The Frequent Weak Link Browsers often update faster than automation tools officially support. Mitigation strategies: Pin browser versions used in automation Validate browser upgrades separately from tool upgrades Expect compatibility lag Use community feedback to spot issues early Browser drift is predictable — and therefore manageable. A Simple Upgrade Flow That Works Everywhere Here’s a repeatable pattern that scales from solo users to large teams: Review version history and known issues Back up projects and configurations Upgrade in a pilot environment Run smoke tests first Observe and document findings Roll out gradually Upgrade CI/CD last This flow keeps upgrades controlled and prevents cascading failures. How to Start (if you have no process yet) If your team has never formalized upgrade strategy, start small. You don’t need heavy change management — just a lightweight, repeatable approach. First 30 days: Choose a pilot environment (VM, spare machine, or sandbox) Create a simple change log (spreadsheet is fine) Define one smoke test suite that represents core workflows Disable auto-updates where possible Next 60 days: Add an upgrade checklist to your workflow Upgrade one component at a time (browser, tool, CI) Share findings with the team Decide on a cadence (monthly, quarterly, or as-needed) By 90 days: Your process becomes repeatable You’ll have real data on what breaks first You’ll stop being surprised by “suddenly broken” automation Printable Checklist Upgrade Readiness Checklist Review release notes and version history Confirm need for upgrade (feature, fix, security, compatibility) Backup all projects and configurations Identify pilot environment Disable auto-updates where possible Run smoke tests in pilot Document findings and workarounds Stagger rollout to team Upgrade CI/CD last Final Thought The goal isn’t to always upgrade first — or always upgrade last. The goal is to upgrade intentionally, with visibility, feedback, and control. When upgrades are planned around environments, team size, and deliberate early adoption, automation becomes resilient instead of fragile.