Software testing in the future - Interview with Christian Mercier

Christian Mercier has been working in the financial services sector since 1996. From branch business to CRM, strategy and IT - from savings banks to Landesbanken and group banks, he has already gained a wide range of experience. Having started out in the classic project business, his focus is now on agile methods. Christian Mercier supports his clients in the high-quality implementation of requirements. Even before the topic of agility became widespread, he was already working on methods for creating transparency and optimizing project communication. During implementation, he attaches great importance to usability and system maturity. Setting up agile tests or testing in an agile environment is therefore a particular concern of his.

What challenges will software testing have to face in the future?

The challenges of the future are many and varied.

The first things that come to mind are new technologies and increasingly complex systems. These things are also often paired with an increasingly far-reaching impact on users - be it through automated lending processes, fully autonomous systems or artificial intelligence that talks to real customers.

In addition, there is an ever-increasing degree of automation in the area of testing and more and more software support in the development process. So while software is being developed and tested, the environments in which it is developed and tested are changing. This is not a new development even today, but its significance will increase with increasing speed in the form of iterative implementations.

In my opinion, the most important point is that we make up for the omissions of recent years and create a consistent awareness of quality. Any deviations discovered in a test must no longer be perceived as unpleasant or disruptive by anyone involved; instead, they must be recognized as a positive driver for the product. Of course, this only works if the focus is not exclusively on the initial investment, but on the long-term return on investment. Of course, there must still be quick prototypes, quick and dirty solutions and low-cost offers - but the quality level must be clearly defined in advance and communicated to the outside world. Because here too, a deviation remains a deviation and must be consciously accepted in case of doubt and must not simply be swept off the table for cost reasons. If everyone involved, from the client to the implementers to the most important link in the chain, the customer, agrees on the quality, i.e. the positive relationship between expectations and implementation, there is nothing to be said against sound testing. However, this decision must be made consciously by everyone. And it is precisely creating this awareness that I consider to be the greatest challenge.

What ideas or solutions could address these challenges?

In addition to the continuous engagement with new technologies and techniques, I believe it is particularly important to further develop and consolidate our self-image. As with any activity, the result is excellent when a profession becomes a vocation. Teams, whether agile or traditional, don’t just need someone who has the topic of testing on the table - no, they need someone who is passionate about the topic of testing and who inspires others in the process.

How can we find such people? The good news is that they already exist! If they are deployed and supported correctly, they can more easily take their environment with them and thus ensure a positive effect in the long term.

What does future testing look like? How will we test?

In my view, testing will continue to be the classic old “craft” in the future, in which the result depends largely on the skills, knowledge and commitment of those involved. Even if the tests are fully automated and integrated into a toolchain and every software increment runs through all the tests, the result depends on good planning, solid analysis, efficient design, conscientious implementation, reliable execution and comprehensible evaluation. In my opinion, ensuring all of this must continue to be the task of qualified and committed people. Due to the fast-moving and cost-driven environment, this requires not only good technical expertise, but above all a certain level of enthusiasm in order to win over the other stakeholders to the quality mission.

The outdated image of a tester who clicks through the same test cases over and over again must continue to change into a tester who understands the participants and systems in order to anchor the idea of quality deeply in the procedure and process.

How can testers and test managers prepare for this today?

From my point of view, as a software tester I need to have a deep basic understanding of how the technologies work in general as well as a detailed understanding of the sub-areas and aspects to be tested. This means that I have to deal with the technology of the future today in order to understand it in the future. This includes not only the software that is to be tested, but also the software that accompanies, supports or executes the test. Because we all know that there is no such thing as error-free software. So when I use software for testing, I need to understand the possibilities and limitations of this software more than I do today. Only then can I use it correctly and interpret the results correctly.

In my view, one topic will not change - in order to achieve good results, I have to start testing as early as possible and see it as part of the overall development process. The topic of “quality as an attitude” is the key to success for everyone involved. After all, we can only be successful in the long term if we do things with passion and inner conviction.