MAY 2024CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM9"We only need to test this one bug fix. Why are the testers taking so long?"But, on the flipside, when code deployments go well, it's the developers that get all of the credit. The right way is to acknowledge the importance of the software testing team. That means putting them in a position to succeed, not fail. More often than not, the software testing teams are understaffed. They are quite literally overwhelmed with work. What's the answer from most enterprises? Let's automate the testing. Let's add automation to the CICD Pipelines. But, what exactly do they want to automate? Test cases and testing procedures must be in place before you can automate anything. You can't automate a process that doesn't exist.Let's add resources to the Software Testing teams. By adding resources, they mean, let's add off-shore resources to help with our testing needs. This only sets the team up for more failure. Off-shore resources work well when there is an established process and a backlog of items that can be worked without interaction from on-shore staff. How are the off-shore testers supposed to work with developers to build test cases when they work different shifts? You want the on-shore testers to build the test cases, while the off-shore testers run the tests. So, that means no testing happens during normal business hours ­ when the developers are available to address issues. Let's not forget enterprise priorities. This is probably the most important piece of the puzzle. When enterprises want to develop new features, what happens? They spend weeks working through architecture and design. They determine hours based on developer estimates. Then, they tack on a few hours for testing as if it were an after-thought. Then, everyone is off to the races. Developers start cranking out code.You don't hear anything about testers developing their test cases before code is developed. Wouldn't it make sense to work with the developers to create initial test cases? If initial test cases were created, that could give them something to automate through the CICD Pipelines. Developers would have immediate feedback as they checked in code. How much time would it take to set up these initial test cases? Two weeks. No, we can't afford to wait that long.This is the mindset that needs to shift. Wait two weeks now, or at the end of this, and every other related deployment. All too often, people choose the latter since they can shine, while blame can be placed on others. What gets lost in all of this is the actual deliverable. Rush now and you will forever be delayed. It's up to IT leaders to embrace this commitment ­ to look past simple delivery dates. The companies that figure this out will be the ones that can quickly respond to consumer needs. Commit to making software testers heroes by putting them in positions to succeed. If they succeed, the entire enterprise succeeds. There's a reason that some companies can deploy multiple times per day, while other, more traditional, companies struggle to release once per quarter. Let's not forget that in order to complete; in order to satisfy your customer's demands, you must be able to provide the features that they request. Who has the edge? Maybe it's time to treat software testers as more than an after-thought. Software testers are the final stop before code gets deployed for consumption. It goes without saying that testers are vital to the IT organizationJames Grover
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