Intelligent quality assurance is the trend
This year's research by Micro Focus, Capgemini and Sogeti shows that companies are increasingly planning to use artificial intelligence and machine learning in the area of quality assurance.
The recent Capgemini, Sogeti and micro focus published 13th World Quality Report 2021-20221 shows, that companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of quality assurance (QA) and taking a more orchestrated approach to it. In addition, the report highlights how the key trends that underscore this overall shift have evolved in the areas of QA and testing-including artificial intelligence (AI), agility, and DevOps, as well as the evolving field of Intelligent Industry2.
According to the report, companies are developing increasingly realistic expectations for testing and QA. Key areas of IT strategy such as improving the customer experience (63 percent) and IT security (62 percent), meeting business requirements (61 percent), and developing high-quality software solutions (61 percent) all receive equal weighting.
Confidence in AI in the field of quality assurance is growing
Here's what the report reveals: More and more companies would like to implement AI and machine learning (ML) as part of their quality assurance. Nearly half of respondents (48 percent) already have a relevant contingent of test execution data that AI and ML platforms would need. Forty-two percent of business owners trust the intelligent value AI and ML platforms add to their businesses-46 percent say they would take action based on that intelligence. Confidence in AI in the QA space is now high, with solid plans and strategies already in place in many places. In addition, companies continue to build skills and toolkits to successfully implement AI and ML within their quality assurance operations. However, AI in quality assurance has yet to reach its full potential. According to the report, there continues to be a growing need for testing strategies and test design capabilities with regard to the use of AI. This means that companies are still relatively new and are just beginning to understand the complexity of AI, the challenges it presents, and the difficulties of AI testing.
The added value of agile methods and DevOps in QA
Companies are already benefiting greatly from the implementation of agile methods and DevOps in the context of QA and testing, for example in the form of higher productivity, higher-quality software and cost reductions. The report also notes that those factors that respondents considered most important to a successful DevOps implementation have realigned: With an eleven percent increase, more than half of them (52 percent) described business-related priorities as the most important. The technology stack, on the other hand, became comparatively less important, with only 49 percent putting it first. In 2020, this figure was still 65 percent.
The lack of testing expertise in agile teams remains a challenge, they say. As the lines between software development and testing teams become more blurred, companies need to focus on collaboration and upskilling their quality assurance staff.
The Rise of Intelligent Industry
Quality assurance teams will soon be the foundation for the rapid growth of Intelligent Industry, according to the report. Therefore, companies should start investing time, energy and budget in this area. The most important drivers for Intelligent Industry are a more efficient approach (47 percent), an increase in quality (46 percent), greater agility and flexibility (44 percent) and an optimized customer experience (43 percent). To achieve this, companies must gain management approval and demonstrate feasibility in the initial steps, according to the press release. According to the data, 42 percent of respondents plan to expand their existing test labs to include 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), AI and automated systems. To do this, companies need to invest in products and services that add the most value with limited time and manpower.
"What emerges particularly strongly from this year's World Quality Report is the shifted perception, as well as growing importance, of quality assurance as such," said Mark Buenen, Global Leader, Digital Assurance and Quality Engineering at Capgemini. "As a result of the pandemic, more and more companies across industries are realizing that they need to be flexible in responding to such events and changes. As IT landscapes are modernized and moved to the cloud for greater agility, the relevance and value of quality assurance is increasing. As this happens, we are seeing growing investment in this area - particularly in technologies that support the Intelligent Industry."
"This year's global World Quality Report not only highlights the impact of changing application requirements affected by the pandemic on new delivery methods. It also highlights the growing use of AI, as well as the implementation of agile practices and DevOps in the context of quality assurance," said Rohit de Souza, senior vice president, general manager of the ITOM Product Group as well as the ADM Product Group, head of the CTO Office and Product Security at Micro Focus. "Our customers are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality, speed, productivity and security of their software, as well as the overall customer experience - across multiple devices and environments. The results of our report show that organizations need to drive their modernization efforts using AI-driven quality assurance and test automation tools." (Source: Micro Focus)
For further information and recommendations for action based on the study, please refer to the full report here ready for download.
1 World Quality Report 2021 Methodology: The annual World Quality Report, launched in 2009, is a global report that looks at application quality analysis and testing trends. This year, the 13th report (2021-22) included computer-assisted telephone interviews, followed by in-depth conversations with 1,750 CIOs and other technology experts (Vice President Applications, IT Director, Quality Assurance/Testing Manager, Chief Data Officer/Chief Marketing Officer, Vice President/Director of Research & Development, and Chief Technology Officer (CTO)/Product Head) from 32 countries and from over ten industries.
2 Primarily driven by data, Intelligent Industry is a term coined by Capgemini to describe digital transformation that connects the physical and digital worlds. Intelligent Industry leverages the influence of data to drive innovation, develop new and differentiated "smart" products, improve supply chains, create novel customer experiences, and create new sources of value. It looks at how companies are using software, data, 5G, edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI), automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) to adapt their practices and how they can achieve this transformation.
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