The traditional approach to software and application testing is not working as effectively as it has in the past and according to TJ Hanekom, sales director, EOH Global Testing Services (GTS) this is cause for concern. "There is a growing trend for organisations to deliver more with fewer resources in a faster timeframe. This places more pressure on IT to deliver and while test automation is a perfect solution given it reduces the time and effort required to execute software testing, there are pitfalls and failing to approach test automation in the correct way can lead to delivery failure."
Most organisations focus on the delivery of automated tests, which is the simplest part of the process, they don't give enough thought to the initial design and future maintenance of the automated tests. "EOH GTS approaches test automation as a software delivery project which includes analysis, delivery and operate phases with dedicated, specialist resources," explains Hanekom.
Common testing pitfalls such as a lack of planning and identifying clear objectives, poor test case quality and using part-time resources, may lead to hidden long-term costs associated with test suite maintenance and new functionality enablement. Hanekom believes that companies often make the mistake of abandoning automation tools due to lack of success, however this is not necessarily because of the tools, but rather due to poor planning at the beginning of the automation project.
"Our approach ensures that we know what will work for the client and can harness that to accelerate the test automation efforts," says Hanekom. "The client is rewarded with significant benefits, including reduced testing costs, increased test coverage, increased ability to react to change and focus testing on high risk areas."
Hanekom says EOH GTS recently assisted a leading security service provider to reduce its test execution time for their customer portal from eight weeks to two. This resulted in an increased rate of change for the portal and demonstrated a faster ability to meet client demands, leading to new business gains. He says existing resources were also diverted from regression testing to other testing streams resulting in additional benefits to customer service quality and reduced software delivery costs.
"It is vital that to avoid negative business implications and to be in a position to assess and mitigate risks, organisations need to realise the importance of software testing and assurance practices," concludes Hanekom.
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