Every software project is judged by four factors: time-to-market, agility, quality, and cost. But while those are typically seen as your developers’ domain, aren’t your software testers and QA engineers the ones really responsible for them?
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Your software testers and QA engineers bear the sole responsibility of ensuring your projects release on time, on budget, and with its anticipated quality. That’s not to say that developers don’t play an integral role, but they’re tasked with building the code; not making sure it works properly. |
Time-to-Market, Agility, Quality, and Cost. They’re vital to every software project—whether it’s a brand-new eCommerce platform or an upgrade for your ERP system or business app. Those four things are essential in keeping your projects on course, your customers happy, and your company ahead of the competition.
Everyone knows that. But here’s something you may not know: those critical deliverables have almost nothing to do with your developers.
Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. But hear me out: your software testers and QA engineers bear the sole responsibility of ensuring your projects release on time, on budget, and with its anticipated quality. That’s not to say that developers don’t play an integral role—they do write the code, after all—but they’re tasked with building the code; not making sure it works properly. That burden falls squarely on the shoulders of your testing/QA team.
Unfortunately, delivering a finished product that releases quickly with high software quality and low cost can seem almost impossible on its own—let alone doing so without completely consuming your testing/QA team.
That’s why you need to make sure your testers are working smarter, not harder. That means building better testing plans so you can know when testing is finished. That means getting your testers involved as early as possible to inspect and clarify vague requirements and user stories. That means knowing the highest-risk areas of code so you can concentrate your effort.
Proactive actions like those are just a few of the myriad steps you can take to improve your testing/QA team. We’re big believers in that kind of approach. In fact, those solutions are some of the core tenants of our True North Testing Methodology—which our own testers bring to every engagement, every single day.
Time-to-Market, Agility, Quality, and Cost aren’t going anywhere any time soon. And so long as that remains the case, compromise isn’t going to be an acceptable option, either. So, if you think your testing/QA team could use a little help, feel free to drop us a line or give us a call. Ask about our True North Testing Assessment—it’s a proven first step towards hastening your time-to-market, improving your agility, increasing your software quality, and lowering your costs!
Don’t think we’re a bunch of slick salespeople, though! We’re always happy to share our thoughts and ideas—even if all you need is some sage, sales-free advice!
Cheers,
Mike Hodge
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc.
Software Testing | Quality Assurance Consulting | Oracle EBS Consulting
