December 17, 2008, 6:58 AM — The increasing unrest of the economic climate is influencing business decision makers to take precautionary measures. Departments are experiencing either a budget cut or, a need to increase output with only the same amount of spends. The IT departments are amongst those suffering; with pressure to improve productivity and efficiency without additional funds. CIOs and IT Managers need to address this, as for many, key delivery targets still need to be achieved regardless of budgetary constraints.
Major programs of IT change require verification to ensure the specified requirements are delivered, that any risks are understood and, most importantly, that the program will deliver the desired business benefit. This is done through software testing, which is unintelligibly less emphasized, and is placed at the end of the project. This approach leads to much larger problems further down the line when functionality is not what is required or when systems totally crash. Organizations can suffer greatly in terms of lost revenue and brand damage. So, limiting testing is not the best way to control the budget of a project.
A review of the testing processes already in place within your organization can highlight areas where improvements can be made. When testing appears to require more resources, it may be the case that redefinition of roles and responsibilities could cover any gaps. Improving and scheduling of test releases can also help structure testing, so timings do not slip. Attaching deliverables to them can further enforce productivity as there will be tangible outcomes helping towards project completion. Changing testing processes to a risk based approach can also aid productivity. Streamlining testing and ensuring it is meeting business requirements can be achieved through a review process.
An effective way of producing cost savings or achieving more within the same budget would be to offshore testing which is currently delivered onshore. Choosing an experienced supplier who can advise on the most effective approach allows benefits to be identified and achieved quickly. Changing the delivery model in its entirety would not afford the organization cost savings in the short term – the savings would be realized over a much longer period and it will require significant investment to execute properly.
The move to test automation should be more focused towards saving the company money over a longer period as it is a much more strategic change. Changing to automation can lead to as much as an 80% reduction in time taken to test scenarios. Agile development can benefit greatly from automation as it means more of the code can be tested in shorter time frames and sent back to developers either for rework or to further develop. As Agile development is growing in popularity due to its benefits, a shift to automating testing would further support this.
These operational changes highlight on how more can realistically be achieved with the same budget, and in some cases within a reduced time frame (reducing costs). With the current economic instability, organizations must deliver quick wins and restructure to start thinking strategically about how they can reduce costs of a project overall rather than just immediately as this usually compromises quality. Proposing to invest in entirely new processes or to purchase tools may seem absurd when cost cutting seems to be the main business driver but the long term value, benefits and ultimately cost savings should not be overlooked.
Read the complete Industry Comment Addressing Budget Constraints through Testing
