The Test Center - Efficient Software Testing - Richard Seidl

Errors in productive operation are expensive, but so is software testing. This is why the efficiency of software testing in the project is particularly important. This efficiency depends on various factors, including

• Optimal test depth and test strategy
• Reusability of resources
• Targeted regression tests

However, our project experience shows that these opportunities are not sufficiently utilized in many companies. Test projects are spread across the company and test processes are set up anew each time. Existing tools are not used and meaningful automation is not applied.
So there can be no question of efficient software testing.

One way to counter these problems and increase efficiency in software testing and even for all projects in the company is to consolidate testing activities in an internal or external test center. The following objectives are generally pursued:

• Support for project management through a comprehensible presentation of quality
• An independent quality check
• The expansion and bundling of test know-how

Success factors

An analysis of the company environment and careful planning are essential prerequisites for the successful introduction of a test center. Four factors have a particularly strong influence on the success of the test center:

The competence

The development and bundling of test-relevant competencies, such as test methodology, tool practice, risk management and test process improvement, supplemented by relevant know-how from the specialist area, forms the basis for the design of effective tests.

The cast

Both the involvement of all those involved (key users, operations, technical experts, etc.) and the provision of sufficient information for those responsible for the project (project management, client, etc.) are essential for the acceptance of the test center’s activities within the company.

The infrastructure

In addition to workstations, their equipment and the test environments, communication tools and “feel-good factors” are important aspects in the design of a test center.

The integration

The success of a test center depends largely on the integration of activities into the development processes, but also into the overall organization (configuration, change and error management, requirements analysis, etc.). Interfaces must be clearly defined. In addition, the activities and results of the test center must be transparent and traceable for everyone in the project or organization.

Fazit

The successful establishment of a test center not only makes testing more efficient, but also benefits all project participants thanks to the standardized processes:

• For project management, test projects are easier to plan and set up and can be tracked more transparently. Testing is more cost-effective, as tools, experience, processes and infrastructure do not have to be provided anew each time. Quality can be planned.
• The company adopts a secure, reliable and stable system because it has been tested according to agreed standards with regard to the target platform.
• The specialist department and key users are involved in development at an early stage and therefore receive software that provides all the required functionalities and is usable and performant. As part of the test team, the users are already familiar with the new system before it is introduced.