Trends in Software Testing
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QUALITY ENGINEERING & TESTING

5 Emerging Trends in Testing

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The world of software testing is currently experiencing a major change that demands every Organization and Quality Assurance (QA) engineer to keep up and implement the latest trends. There's no question that today's quality executives and engineers universally recognize that the Quality Assurance sector needs to accelerate its adoption of agile and DevOps. Yet the average rate still stands at about 16% across the board.

Just a few short years ago, QA professionals were hired based on just their knowledge of market leading testing tools like Selenium, UFT, ALM. Now, the marketplace requires QAs to have specialized skills with applicable working know-how in the new trends and to be adaptable to any or all of the market leading tools. The reality is that initiatives like automation and test data management continue to see flat adoption rates. Experts warn that changes need to be made more swiftly if quality is to keep up with the pace of software engineering.

The World Quality Report 2017–2018, released by Capgemini, Sogeti, and Micro Focus, identifies several trends in software quality and testing, including best practice adoption of test automation, agile and DevOps methodologies.  

Here we examine 5 key trends that are transforming the IT industry specifically in the way testing needs to be planned and implemented – effectively and efficiently.

DEVOPS AND AGILE

DevOps is about seamless collaboration across departments in software development and its operation. This will lead test automation developers moving into agile teams. Testing will now be conducted at every stage to verify requirements, develop automation frameworks (to support DevOps) and configure toolsets for integration and delivery. This trend suggests a shift towards quality engineering to achieve greater speeds of delivery and QA. Testing will also become more iterative, progressive and integrated from the beginning of the development cycle.

Sogeti Ireland is currently implementing Agile for a leading international insurance company that has already dramatically increased their releases and efficiency. It has also reduced the time to market.

OPEN SOURCE TOOLS

Companies are now using open source tools to achieve enhanced performance in terms of test automation with DevOps and Agile. For many of our leading customers Sogeti has implemented open source tools and solutions to reduce costs and improve ROI. The increased dependence on open source tools will drive innovation and expansion of new tool’s. This phenomenon will help reduce development expenses and accelerate the product’s time to market. Testers will also need to adopt advanced programming skills to build libraries and automation frameworks to run their tests.

IOT AND SECURITY

With IoT growing in leaps and bounds, more and more customers rely on IoT Testing before using the products. If the products are not tested, their functionality, security and effectiveness – all will come under scanner. As the adoption of IoT continues to grow, there will be an increasing demand to not only conduct extensive tests on its effectiveness and functionality but also security. The threat to IoT devices will be network-related and involve the user authentication process which will demand static and dynamic testing. As a result, we will see a rise in IoT QA testing teams to respond to potential vulnerabilities right from the start.

BIG DATA

We are sitting atop an explosive amount of Big Data today and need to have a very strong strategy around Big Data Testing. Every enterprise across industries attempts to leverage big data analytics to gain a competitive advantage. There will a huge demand for big data testing to help develop strong strategies. Testing datasets requires highly analytical tools, techniques, and frameworks, and is an area that is set to grow big. Big data QA teams will require advanced analytical tools and frameworks to engage in this activity.

MOBILE TESTING AND AUTOMATION 

As almost every business on the planet goes through a period of digital transformation, we can expect to see a growing demand for extensive digital strategies to optimize functional testing across all channels.

As we race towards a mobile-first world, the need for extensive mobile test automation will be paramount.  The good news is that we’re now seeing the emergence of mobile testing platforms and tools.  Sogeti currently utilises in-house devices, on-demand devices on cloud and mobile testing solutions that have enabled many clients with their mobile testing.

 

In conclusion, with most organizations making a foray in the digital world, the need for digital transformation will require a huge shift of focus towards digital testing. Robust strategies for digital assurance will be required for focusing on optimizing functional testing across channel’s. 

As detailed in the World Quality Report, its clear that moving to smarter automated testing solutions will enable teams to release software faster without sacrificing quality to secure business outcomes. 

These emerging trends are already revolutionizing and changing the way businesses are running, and despite the low adoption rate  - it can be readily and successfully implemented with the right partner – like Sogeti!

To understand more about any of these trends or to implement/incorporate these test solutions any of into your digital strategy - contact our Head of DIgital Assurance and Testing, Will Murray .

Author
  • sandeep kini
    Sandeep Kini
    Test Automation Manager
    01 635 0100
    sandeep kini
    Sandeep Kini
    Test Automation Manager
    01 635 0100

In the 9th edition of the World Quality Report, there is evidence that your peers are learning to strike the balance. Up to 41% of its sample shows a return to the main objectives of QA & Testing - to improve the overall quality of processes, products and software. Call it mean-reversion or historic recurrence: the leaders are going back to basics.

 

For more on the state of QA & Testing, download your copy of the World Quality Report 2017-18.

 

World Quality Report 2017-18: Key Findings

  • Increasing challenges with testing in an agile development
  • Test budgets are falling but are expected to rise again
  • Test automation is on the way to intelligent, smart, and cognitive QA
  • Test data and test environments continue to be the Achilles heel for QA and testing
  • QA organization evolving to meet bi-modal needs
  • Back to basics focus on application quality shows testing has come of age in the new context of agile applications

World Quality Report 2017-18: Key Recommendations

  • Invest in smart QA and Test platforms
  • Define a strategy for QA analytics on an enterprise level
  • Support DevOps teams and agile development by transforming QA and Test function
  • Define your test platform strategy on an enterprise level
  • Increase the level of smart test automation

Click here to download the World Quality Report 2017-2018

Digital Transformation

IoT, mobile technology and third-party relationships escalate testing complexity

More than 1600 technology leaders from 33 countries were interviewed for the World Quality Report 2017-18. Only 6% don't include Digital Transformation in their plans.

The transformation is clearly underway, but not without its complexity.

Security issues, mobile apps, smart products and conversational commerce: IT has got a lot on its plate already. The Digital Transformation section of the report shows how QA & Testing is doing its bit.

Click here to download the World Quality Report 2017-2018

 

Agile and DevOps

Agile and DevOps transformation continues to put pressure on QA

Silicon Valley cult to mainstream adoption - the evolution of agile and DevOps is nothing short of a surreal, coming of age story. A very small proportion (4%) has stayed off agile adoption, to quote the World Quality Report 2017-18. But 99% name difficulties with testing in agile.

To be fair, agile teams expect a sense of continuity with their waterfall experience. Enter hybrid frameworks - an uneasy blend of agile and waterfall, subject to the complexity of business asks.

As an eye-opener, the Agile and DevOps section of the report highlights the shortcomings and successes of such approaches in a context of digital transformation.

Click here to download the World Quality Report 2017-2018

 

Test Automation

On the way to smart, intelligent, and cognitive QA

Automation tools are able to scan code like ninjas on a mission. They help to detect and shrink unproductive delays between coding and defect detection at attractive long-term ROI. But incremental efficiency gains are only just 20th century!

Smart test automation must go beyond and sweat your investments to meet broader business objectives. It’s worrying, then, that QA and Testing is not quite the automation nation you’d expect it to be.

The Automation section of the World Quality Report 2017-18 takes stock of the situation.

Click here to download the World Quality Report 2017-2018

 

Industrialization

How test centers of excellence adapt to the digital era

The shift was rather progressive, but digital quality assurancehas become the domain of agile teams - if not entirely, at least in substantial measure.

The Industrialization section of the World Quality Report 2017-18 will explain what that means for the test center of the future.

Agile and DevOps will replace traditional TCOEs with decentralized operations. A Test Excellence Center will support these by providing expertise, resources and test environments.

Click here to download the World Quality Report 2017-2018

 

Test Data Management and Test Environment Management

Test environments and test data continue to be the Achilles heel for QA and testing

Through Digital Transformation, software has clearly been positioned in the core of everything businesses do. Where does that leave traditional practices of managing test data and environments?

Why do more than half of the respondents of the World Quality Report 2017-18 struggle with the size of test data sets? Which part represents the most significant challenge with managing environments?

Answers to these questions and the way forward with test data and environment management can be found in the Test Data Management section of the report.

Click here to download the World Quality Report 2017-2018

 

QA and Testing Budgets

Budgets in flux as changes sweep through testing

According to the World Quality Report 2017-18, 26% of total IT is spent on quality. This represents a drop of 5% over 2016 and 9% over 2015.

At the same time, 68% say they have seen a spike in IT budget spent on QA and testing over the last four years. That number is higher than the 63% in 2016.

Download the report and read the QA and Testing Budgets section to decode the dichotomy.

Click here to download the World Quality Report 2017-2018

 

World Quality Report 2017-18 infographic

Download region-specific reports

Download the region-specific analysis here:

Click here to read the Press Release: Quality Assurance must shift to smarter solutions

Download the full report

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