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PRESS RELEASE
QUALITY ENGINEERING & TESTING

Sogeti UK survey finds digital testing is on the rise but...

Sogeti UK survey finds digital testing is on the rise but, 98% of test professionals don’t feel prepared to keep up with the pace of innovation the business expects.

64% of London TestExpo Delegates say that over half of their testing activity is currently focused on new development or transformational projects but many need to review their tools and processes in order to deliver quality at the pace the business demands.

London, UK, 4th November 2014 – A new Sogeti survey of software testing and quality assurance professionals attending TestExpo 2014 has revealed that new development and transformational projects incorporating digital technologies now account for over half of testing activity, supporting the findings from the latest World Quality Report which launched on 7th October. However, only 2% feel comfortable and well prepared to achieve the required quality, agility and speed that the business expects to keep up with the pace of innovation, with their current processes, tools and technologies.

Despite the rise in transformational projects and the requirement to integrate Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) technologies with legacy systems to provide a first-rate customer experience, only 1% of TestExpo delegates have defined their digital testing strategy and feel it is successful. Just over half (58%) are currently trying to define their strategy, while 13% are experiencing challenges with their current approach and are looking for help.

The survey was conducted in October by Sogeti at London’s TestExpo 2014 conference, where over 200 software testing and QA professionals discussed their digital testing strategies, challenges and activities, as well as their testing priorities for 2015.

Sogeti UK CEO, Brian Shea, comments: “Digital is clearly an area of growth within our sector as organisations are under increasing pressure to deliver a great digital customer experience; yet quality assurance teams face a number of challenges around the underlying testing activities that enable them to meet the requirements of the business. Through innovative tools and methods, expert skills and ensuring they are open to change, these teams can achieve the required quality, agility and speed to deliver on the business’ expectations.

Further findings in the TestExpo 2014 Digital Transformation survey include:

  • 33% state that between 10-20% of their overall IT budget is spent on testing.
  • The majority of delegates (58%) believe that the role of the tester must change to incorporate different skills to meet new, digital challenges.
  • Almost a third (31%) felt that training their existing testers would help them to keep up with the pace of innovation the business expects. Many also felt that new methods and tools, along with recruiting appropriately skilled individuals would aid in achieving this.
  • 70% said that automation is one of their top testing priorities for 2015 – well above agile, mobile and Testing Centers of Excellence. (TCoEs)
  • Many delegates admitted that there are still experiencing challenges in agile adoption, specifically regarding tools and applying automation.

For the full report on the survey findings, please contact Samantha Mills (samantha.mills@sogeti.com).