Testing Centralization
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Making the leap from "gatekeeper" to strategic business partner often requires the QA/test group to centralize and standardize the selection of test tools, the development of test processes and templates and the training of testing staff. Only then can it break the organizational silos which typically hobble testing efforts, present a consistent and credible face to their business customers and develop the specialized expertise needed to meet today's testing challenges.
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Testing Centralization
- 1. Cognizant White Paper Centralize and Standardize Testing to Drive Quality and Business Value Testing Services white paper
- 2. Introduction T he global downturn requires every unit within the business to not only "do more with less,” but prove its value to the enterprise. This is especially true for quality assurance/test organizations, which typically are brought in at the end of the software development process as “gatekeepers,” assuring the software meets certain minimum requirements for functionality, performance and stability before it is deployed. New application architectures such as virtualization and cloud computing, and new business models such as outsourcing and Web-based collaboration, require that QA/test organizations transform themselves into global lifecycle partners, working with business users, developers and others within and outside of the organization to champion software quality. Making this leap from gatekeeper to strategic business partner often requires the QA/test group to centralize and standardize the selection of test tools, the development of test processes and templates and the training of testing staff. Only then can it break the organizational silos which typically hobble testing efforts, present a consistent and credible face to their business customers and develop the specialized expertise needed to meet today's testing challenges. 02 white paper
- 3. New World of Challenges achieve this transformation only by centralizing and standardizing the test/QA function, breaking Software, in some form, is essential to almost every organizational silos to foster more collaboration both product or service offered by any business. But even as inside the organization and with outside partners, and software becomes more essential, it becomes more partnering where appropriate with outside sources of complex. Ten or fifteen years ago, the application expertise. scheduling in a production line might be accessed only Centralization and standardization are key because by internal employees, and rely on a single database for test/QA organizations cannot be flexible and cost- information about raw materials, production schedules effective enough to meet today's business needs if they and delivery requirements. Today, it might draw on are constantly scrambling to coordinate testing among multiple databases at various subcomponents with raw various business units, collecting test requirements and material suppliers, be accessed by production managers data from scratch for each new test, and struggling to at multiple subcontractors and be delivered over a range master multiple testing tools. of architectures including mash-ups, service-oriented architectures and virtualized data centers via private or They will also not gain the corporate respect they need if public cloud services. Finally, it must be updated different test/QA staff show up for each project with an frequently to fix bugs, accommodate new functionality ever-changing set of tools and methodologies. Business or address security or regulatory issues. leaders trust partners (either internal or external) who deliver consistent, reliable and repeatable levels of The cost and time associated with testing these changes service. Centralization and standardization of testing has made business managers aware of the role test/QA both lowers the cost and boosts the quality and stature plays throughout the entire application lifecycle. Faster, of the test/QA organizations because it: more thorough testing cuts costs and increases flexibility by reducing downtime, as well as the expensive Rewards specialists for developing deeper test/QA n rework, retesting and redeployment of code. expertise n down organizational silos through the clout of Breaks Finally, these new demands are hitting at a time when one central testing/QA group every development and test/QA organization is being Provides a central source from which business users n asked to develop more software, provide more and developers can get consistent guidance, testing functionality and test to higher levels of quality and requirements and formats for test scripts and test data functionality with flat or even declining budgets. Reduces training/licensing/hardware costs and n increases expertise by consolidating on fewer test/QA Testing/QA professionals can lead the way in meeting platforms these challenges through what application development Cuts the time and effort required to coordinate inputs n analyst Theresa Lanowitz of voke Inc. calls a Global of test data and analyze the output of multiple test Lifecycle Transformation. The change is “global” tools because the test/QA staff must now work with a broader Encourages the creation of reusable test components n that save time and money in future test programs mix of users and business units both inside and outside Improves the identification of architectural defects, n of their own enterprises. “Lifecycle” means that test/QA and professionals must play a role throughout the n the visibility and credibility of the test/QA group Boosts application lifecycle, rather than only at the end of the development process. And the change is a With help from Cognizant, for example, major U.S. health transformation because test/QA must move from being insurer Aetna Inc. has saved an estimated 14,000 hours simply a gatekeeper on the road to deployment to a true in manual test effort by centralizing and standardizing champion of quality. the test process, and making it easier for users to review test data and test results. Cognizant believes that test/QA organizations can 03 white paper
- 4. As part of the centralization and standardization, Using virtualization to create a production-like Cognizant developed scripts that automated and sped environment also helps reduce costs by eliminating the the loading of test data into the test suites. Cognizant need for a standalone testing infrastructure, and also created MS Excel data sheets that show the increases the likelihood of finding defects by creating a business user two or three formats for the test data, and test environment that closely approximates the actual asked the users to select which they were comfortable production environment. with. This step alone cut the time required to approve the formats for the test data from half an hour to two to These centers achieve the greatest results when they three minutes. The data sheets can also be used in seek specialized knowledge from trusted outside multiple test components, further speeding the test vendors. Cognizant, for example, offers a range of process in the future. consulting services that have already helped more than 80 organizations assess the maturity of their test/QA Centralize, Standardize, Partner functions, develop customized enterprise testing roadmaps, or simply determine which testing functions As a first step towards achieving such benefits, best lend themselves to outsourcing. Cognizant recommends creating a test/QA “center of excellence” that defines, develops and maintains test Conclusion processes, standards and templates; chooses and maintains testing tools and trains staff in their use, and The current economic crisis is an opportunity for test/QA creates test and management metrics while striving for organizations to not only prove their value within their continuous process improvement. businesses, but to position those businesses to thrive as the economy recovers. Becoming quality leaders, though, This center should be scalable and sustainable across will require them to centralize the test/QA function, multiple projects and built on the strength of existing, standardize on common tools and processes, and smash proven tools and processes rather than a “rip and replace” organizational silos as well as partner with internal users, of all existing test efforts. It should not be an isolated external business partners, and trusted outside vendors. research laboratory, but rather a conduit for sharing best The result: Healthier test/QA organizations; higher- test and QA practices with application design and quality, more stable applications and increased value for development, business analysts and security groups. customers and shareholders. About Author: Sripriya Kalyanasundaram, Director, Cognizant leads the Insurance-Testing team at Cognizant and is also responsible for working with business units to provide valuable support in the field of Software testing. With over 12 years of experience in the Information Technology Industry, Sripriya has been focusing on software testing activities in the software development life cycle of Client Server and Web based projects. Over the past few years she has been actively involved in coordinating with the customers and in project execution. About Cognizant Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting and business process outsourcing services. Cognizant's single-minded passion is to dedicate our global technology and innovation know- how, our industry expertise and worldwide resources to working together with clients to make their businesses stronger. With over 50 global delivery centers and 63,700 employees as of March 31, 2009, we combine a unique onsite/offshore delivery model infused by a distinct culture of customer satisfaction. A member of the NASDAQ-100 Index and S&P 500 Index, Cognizant is a Forbes Global 2000 company and a member of the Fortune 1000 and is ranked among the top information technology companies in BusinessWeek's Hot Growth and Top 50 Performers listings. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com. Start Today For more information on how to drive your business results with Cognizant, contact us at [email protected] or visit our website at: www.cognizant.com. World Headquarters European Headquarters India Operations Headquarters 500 Frank W. Burr Blvd. Haymarket House #5/535, Old Mahabalipuram Road Teaneck, NJ 07666 USA 28-29 Haymarket Okkiyam Pettai, Thoraipakkam Phone: +1 201 801 0233 London SW1Y 4SP UK Chennai, 600 096 India Testing Services Fax: +1 201 801 0243 Phone: +44 (0) 20 7321 4888 Phone: +91 (0) 44 4209 6000 06 white paper Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277 Email: [email protected] Fax: +44 (0) 20 7321 4890 Email: [email protected] Fax: +91 (0) 44 4209 6060 Email: [email protected] © Copyright 2009, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or White paper otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.