Nearly 50% of software developers spend over 40% of project time on debugging and a staggering 87% of IT developers still rely on manual testing to ensure the reliability of business critical IT systems. These are some of the findings of a recent survey commissioned by Compuware on the use of automated testing by IT developers in the UK.
"While similar surveys have not yet been conducted in SA, there is no reason to believe that local developers are any different to their UK counterparts," says Paul Wandrag, product manager, Automated Software Quality at Compuware SA.
Even more alarming is 45% of UK developers spend between 41% to 80% of development time on debugging - a mere 5% of developers consider debugging to be non-critical, yet, according to the survey findings, only 13% of software developers use automated testing systems to detect bugs.
"It`s encouraging to see that commitment to testing hasn`t suffered despite the increased pressure to deliver software applications rapidly. However, the high level of dependency on manual testing is astounding," says Wandrag.
Automated testing ensures the more reliable detection of software bugs and errors - in a fraction of the time associated with laborious manual testing. In addition, manual testing greatly reduces the amount of time developers have to work on the more creative aspects of software development.
The Compuware survey also revealed that manual testing methods are causing a significant proportion of developers to delay the detection of bugs until the post deployment stage when rectifying code error costs 100 times the amount it would cost to rectify an error at the coding phase.
Five percent of the developers surveyed admitted to leaving the detection of bugs until the post deployment stage. A further 18% left debugging to the tuning phase and 30% waited until the testing phase. Only 47% of developers surveyed made an effort to detect bugs at the coding phase.
"Wider adoption of automated testing tools would significantly speed up the development process and reduce the cost of software development - as well as the frustration associated with launching bug-free applications," Wandrag concludes.
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Compuware Corporation, a multibillion-dollar company, provides business value through software that optimises productivity and reduces costs across the application lifecycle. Meeting the rapidly changing needs of businesses of all sizes, Compuware`s market-leading solutions improve the quality, ease the integration and enhance the performance of distributed, e-business and enterprise software. Compuware employs more than 12 000 information technology professionals worldwide. For more information about Compuware, please contact the South African subsidiary on (011) 516 2900 or visit Compuware SA on the World Wide Web at http://www.compuware.co.za.
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