The last year, with its challenges, has had an enormous impact on product development. The global situation, among other things, made adjustments to the QA industry. The World Quality Report 2020-2021 (WQR) contains a review of the most significant roadblocks, progress, and trends in software testing. What are they? How did the compelled reduction in the number of projects force QA to evolve? Is it possible despite the cut funding? Below are a few takeaways from the latest research.
In 2020, QA continued to experience a reduction in financing. The spending on testing has decreased by 13% over the last five years. The release of new products has slowed down due to the global situation, and some projects have been postponed. That inevitably affected QA, prompting it to be more efficient and productive with fewer resources. The teams can achieve this by leveraging AI tools and building more automated tests.
Together with the decrease in financial support, the demands for product quality are continuously growing. That makes companies introduce QA to all their processes. Software testing ceases to be a separate role and becomes an inherent part of the development lifecycle. It means that testers are not the only ones responsible for quality now. Everybody is involved in improving the work outcomes in all its stages.
Thus, testers must establish closer cooperation with developers. That’s how the latter begin to value the job of a QA team more. Those who work in development should share their feedback on what they find difficult in the issues of quality. Then, the QA engineers can clarify these matters to them.
Software test engineers should also offer their colleagues consultations on test activities, quality practices, and release criteria. Developers should recognize the importance of quality. In this regard, they should have a better understanding of the final purpose of the system they are building. They need to see the benefits that smoothly working apps bring along. Let your developers know that a high-quality product increases customer loyalty and guarantees better ROI. Timely detected bugs save time and finances later on.
Another trend that the past year triggered is remote working. When the previous WQR had appeared with its prognosis, no one could predict the turmoil awaiting the business world. The global situation influenced the way enterprises operate. It forced them to choose the cloud over on-premise solutions and transfer to online sales. Therefore, businesses started the transition to high-performance databases such as SAP S/4HANA.
Work from home has also enabled QA teams to harness the techniques that improve intercommunication. According to the WQR, 12% of the respondents said they need to master these tools in order to get better visibility into testing processes. Along with that, the pandemic made it essential for companies to set up remote access to test environments. There were 6% of the survey participants who admitted they should focus on making their systems available to QA engineers remotely.
To learn more about top software testing trends, check out our article on the role of digitalization, AI, test automation, and Agile practices in the QA industry. Find out what adjustments your team can make to prepare for what lies ahead.
