Definition
Practices for improving the efficiency of software development processes by automation.
In detail
Software Process Automation (SPA) is the practice of using automation tools and technologies to improve the efficiency of software development processes. It addresses the problem of "many repetitive manual operations, long delivery cycles, and unstable quality in software development." Unlike simple test automation, SPA covers the entire process including requirements, coding, testing, and deployment. Its outputs include automation scripts, CI/CD pipelines, and process optimization reports.
Example in practice
A software company manually executed numerous testing and deployment steps for each release, which was time-consuming and error-prone. The team introduced SPA, setting up a CI/CD pipeline where code commits automatically triggered builds, unit tests, and deployments to test environments. They also automated regression testing, reducing manual intervention. After implementation, release cycles shortened from weekly to multiple times daily, defect rates decreased, and developers could focus on new feature development.