47% of Irish businesses don’t engage with testers or quality assurance from product conception

Comtrade Digital Services today announced the results of a survey, which found that 47% of Irish businesses that develop software don’t engage with testers or quality assurance from conception of a product. The independent survey of 133 IT decision-makers in Irish-based medium to large enterprises also found that one-in-five only bring testers or quality assurance on-board after the first dummy is produced.

Comtrade Digital Services’ survey shows that a high proportion of businesses in Ireland have their own digital platforms – an average of eight per business according to the findings.

As the digital era takes hold of the business landscape, traditional services and physical products are no longer the only offerings that will win and retain customers. Instead, customer loyalty is being sought through digital platforms that focus on user engagement and experience. This platform economy is leading to a greater need for software testers and quality assurance teams.

However, the survey found that many innovative companies aren’t taking precautions to mitigate the risk of producing substandard technologies. Some 43% of companies in Ireland that develop software don’t have a quality assurance team or manager.

The results of the survey come as Comtrade Digital Services prepares to host its Quest for Quality conference in Dublin, which will address the theme of software testing in the platform economy.

Nikola Šopar, Director of QA Services, Comtrade Digital Services, said: “Businesses are now fighting competition on multiple facets. In order to stay competitive, they must have a digital presence that prioritises the user experience. That requires the consistent and quick rollout of innovative platforms that will attract and retain today’s digital-savvy customer.

“But launching new platforms isn’t enough: they must be issue-free and easy to use, or businesses risk losing customers within a matter of seconds. That requires engaging with quality assurance experts and software testers as soon as a platform is conceived. They understand human behaviour and can predict problems that users may encounter when using the platform, therefore eliminating them before the product is launched.”

Dejan Cusic, Business Director, Ireland & UK at Comtrade Digital Services, added: “We want to help Irish businesses navigate the platform economy with our Quest for Quality conference. It will give attendees the opportunity to discuss and learn about very specific issues that are relevant to both engineers and business owners. We want to show that when approached correctly, carefully thought-out digital platforms can become a key differentiator between one business and the next – and the difference between success and failure.”

To help businesses address and examine the issues and opportunities surrounding software testing in the platform economy, Comtrade Digital Services is hosting its Quest for Quality conference in Dublin on 4th and 5th October 2017 at The Marker Hotel. The event will bring together more than 100 software testing professionals from Ireland and abroad with a combination of talks, panel discussions and workshops.

For more information about the event and to book tickets, please visit http://questforquality.eu/