Friday, 28 November 2014

What makes Software Quality Assurance a constant challenge as well as a formidable opportunity?

The constant pace of change has altered the parameters of Software Quality. The business advantage of cloud, the rising usage of smart phones and the enormous participation in social networks has multiplied the digital interactions making it challenging for businesses to keep the applications stable. With the inclusion of a new breed of devices and UI features in the global IT ecosystem, Quality now demands newer benchmarks of performance, security, compatibility and globalization.
The imposing dimensions of software quality are so overwhelming that software testing needs to be one step ahead of the defects with comprehensive coverage, smart reports and business friendly testing processes with minimal interruptions to the process workflow. Priority based requirement analysis and early integration have become absolute essentials to formulate test strategies that align business objectives with the testing services.
Quality Assurance levels build confidence on the outcomes of investments in new as well as running IT initiatives. Moreover, QA gives the business stakeholders drive ahead with innovative products/services and a faster time to market. On the same hand, the transformation brought on by Agile models makes it imperative to accelerate testing practices to deliver the requirements.
The fiascos of defects which are finding their way into the news headlines have made enterprises realise the extent of importance of having software testing in the business strategy. From long term business goals to ad hoc solutions, the priority on software testing is higher than ever. For example, feasibility studies which are part of software testing are known to have helped organizations restructure their Infrastructure and processes to improve optimization.
Devops is one of the most critical areas which requires greater focus in order to reduce post production defect density and aid rapid releases. The constant upgrades and transformation in terms of integration with newer information systems is essential to survive and succeed. This transformation requires the confluence of business and technology which determines the nature of the outcomes.
In such a volatile environment, organizations soon realised it was counterproductive to have an in-house test departments for very obvious reasons. Test requirements keep changing as new and new systems and requirements emerge. In addition, testing requires comprehensive capabilities including from dedicated infrastructure, device banks, cloud capabilities and specialist career testers whose expertise depends on test engineering expertise over a wide variety of business environments.
In addition, the compliance standards set by financial institutions and industry standards make it an essential to have third party assessments to eliminate the scope of bias in testing and assessment practices.
The ideal solution would be independent software testing Services Company with formidable test capabilities, test tool partnerships and a rich pool of professional software testers with domain and technology expertise. An engagement with independent testing not only strengthens QA but also extends the improvement of business outcomes with competitive business advantage derived from exposure to industry specific testing experience.