World Quality Report Reveals that Two-thirds of Companies Are Inadequately Testing Mobile Applications
Report results expose lack of confidence in in-house software testing capabilities, particularly for mobile applications
DAYTON, Ohio, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, and Sogeti, its local professional services division, today released the findings of the fourth annual World Quality Report. [1]The report, published in conjunction with HP, reveals that organizations are struggling to manage the challenges of the mobile era, with only one-third (31 percent) of those surveyed currently formally testing their mobile applications. Where organizations are conducting mobile Quality Assurance (QA), they are primarily focused on performance (64 percent) and functionality (48 percent), with a mere 18 percent of organizations focusing on security. Even more worrying, it appears that testing organizations are unable to address the new challenges, posed by the increasingly digitized environment due to a lack of the right resources, tools and methods. Yet, the ability to effectively test the quality of software applications has never been more critical to an organization's reputation and operations.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101011/CL79383LOGO)
The report unveiled that most businesses (51 percent) still run testing as an in-house function. Only 13 percent have moved to a service fully managed by an external provider. Unfortunately, those organizations managing testing in-house have internal QA capabilities that are failing to keep pace with new technologies. The report reveals a lack of confidence in firms' software QA capabilities, with more than half of respondents (59 percent) characterising their internal QA teams' knowledge of the latest testing tools and technologies as merely 'average.' Two-thirds of respondents admit they do not have the right tools to test mobile applications and one-third lack the appropriate testing methodologies and processes (34 percent) and specialist expertise (29 percent) necessary.
"Consistent and reliable software applications have become critical to the operations of many organizations. Yet the lack of confidence in most companies' internal abilities to monitor and test the quality of their software is resounding, particularly when it comes to mobile applications," said Michel de Meijer, Global Service Line Testing Lead, Capgemini Group. "Global firms need to deliver continuous access, anytime and anywhere, often to thousands of employees and sometimes millions of customers, over different types of mobile device and are struggling with the challenges that this brings. QA teams will need to seriously rethink their integrated testing strategies, covering traditional and new, mobile, application, to keep up with the demands of their users."
The report also highlights the impact of cloud computing on testing and QA. Almost a quarter of the applications (22 percent) of the firms surveyed are now being hosted in the cloud, which is expected to rise to one-third (32 percent) by 2015. As a result, testing in the cloud is expanding significantly as QA professionals become more comfortable with the cloud as a testing platform. And while more than a quarter (28 percent) of testing now occurs in a cloud environment, the report shows this is forecast to increase to 39 percent by 2015. With just 4 percent of companies expecting not to use cloud technologies for QA over the next three years, compared with 31 percent just two years ago, the perceived benefits of cloud-based QA clearly outweigh the pitfalls. And as companies turn to models that can efficiently leverage the cloud, 78 percent of organizations expect to introduce Testing as a Service within the next two years.
The report also reveals that as companies seek to drive a reduction in costs and time to market, over two-fifths (42 percent) of QA budgets increased over the last year, while just 11 percent shrunk. The majority of respondents (53 percent) also expect their QA budgets to rise by 2015, with just one-fifth (18 percent) forecast to fall. As organizations strive to centralize and consolidate QA for further cost reduction and efficiencies, the study highlights a significant trend towards investment in Testing Centers of Excellent (TCOE[2]). While only 6 percent of firms currently have a fully operational TCOE, this is a 50 percent increase on 2011. Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) are currently in the process of building or planning a TCOE as they look to secure further competitive advantage.
"Organizations need to balance limited resources with innovation as they seek to spur business growth and competitive differentiation," said Matthew Morgan, Vice President, Hybrid IT and Cloud, Product Marketing, Software, HP. "With HP, organizations can update and optimize their testing resources and operations to reduce costs, accelerate time to market and improve service quality, all while benefiting from new delivery models like mobile, cloud and social technologies."
About the World Quality Report 2012-2013
The World Quality Report 2012-2013 is the fourth in a series of annual surveys examining the state of application quality and testing practices across industries and geographies. Since 2009, the Capgemini Group and HP have published the annual report to provide insight into the latest trends in application quality, methodologies, tools, and processes. As in previous years, the report includes detailed profiles on the state of QA in a number of specific industries: Consumer Products, Retail, and Distribution; Energy and Utilities, Financial Services; High Tech; Public Sector; and Telecommunications, Media, and Entertainment. The report also examines IT trends and quality practices from a regional perspective across: North America including US and Canada; South America including Brazil; Western Europe including France; Germany and Switzerland; the Netherlands and Benelux; the UK and Ireland; the Nordics (Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway); Southern Europe; Eastern Europe; and Asia-Pacific including Australia and New Zealand; Singapore, China and Hong Kong.
The 2012-2013 World Quality Report is based on a total of 1,553 detailed telephone interviews undertaken with CIOs, CFOs, IT directors and managers and QA directors / executives and managers within private companies, government and public sector organizations, across 25 countries. This data was augmented by in-depth client interviews, and then analysis and commentary carried out by our own specialists. Unlike previous years this report focuses on what many would call the enterprise market only, namely organizations with 1,000 or more employees locally to their region. The key goal of this report is to examine the state of application quality and testing practices across different industries and geographies.
About Capgemini and Sogeti
The Capgemini Group is one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, enabling its clients to transform and perform through the use of technologies. Present in 40 countries, the Capgemini Group reported 2011 global revenues of EUR 9.7 billion and employs over 120,000 people in 40 countries. Sogeti, its wholly-owned subsidiary, is a leading provider of local professional services, bringing together more than 20,000 professionals in 15 countries and is present in over 100 locations in Europe, the US and India.
Together, Capgemini and Sogeti have developed innovative, business-driven quality assurance (QA) and testing services, combining best-in-breed testing methodologies (TMap® and TPI®) and the global delivery model, Rightshore®, to help organizations achieve their testing and QA goals. Capgemini and Sogeti have created one of the largest dedicated testing practices in the world, with over 9,500 test professionals and a further 14,500 application specialists, notably through a common center of excellence with testing specialists developed in India.
About Sogeti USA
Sogeti USA is a premier provider of information technology services to businesses and public sector organizations. Operating in 23 U.S. locations, Sogeti's business model is built on providing customers with local accountability and vast delivery expertise. Sogeti is a leader in helping clients develop, implement and manage practical IT solutions to help run their business better. With over 40 years of experience, Sogeti offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including Advisory Services, Application Development & Integration, Business Information Management, Engineering Services, Infrastructure Services and Testing Services. To learn more, visit: www.us.sogeti.com
For more information, please visit: www.capgemini.com/testing, www.sogeti.com/testing
Rightshore® is a registered trademark belonging to Capgemini.
TMap®, TMap NEXT®, TPI® and TPI NEXT® are registered trademarks of Sogeti.
[1] The World Quality Report is an in-depth global study examining the state of application quality and testing practices across multiple industries and geographies. This year's report highlights a need for firms to rethink their QA strategies and priorities as mobile devices continue to transform users' needs, demands and expectations.
[2] Capgemini and Sogeti's Centers of Excellence act as a physical hub to showcase, develop and present the latest business and technology advancements to support state-of-the-art testing solutions for customers globally. This resource combines client testing teams, tools and environments to provide scalable, end-to-end testing capabilities that can be adapted to meet clients' changing needs. It helps companies benefit from aggregating testing across multiple business units, allowing all applications to follow the same streamlined process, to maintain high quality.
SOURCE Sogeti USA
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article