Automated Testing and QA of Top Importance, Many Plan to Increase Testing Investment in the Coming Year
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – June 15, 2017 – Sencha, the company providing a unified platform for designing, developing and testing cross-platform web applications, today announced the results of an independent, worldwide survey of more than 1,000 QA and development professionals responsible for web applications. Conducted by Dimensional Research, the goal of “The State of Web Application Testing” was to gain insights into current attitudes and common experiences regarding the testing of web applications.
Software bugs have been a pervasive issue in application development since its inception. Throughout the years, end-users have shown an increased demand for more data-intensive applications and a more sophisticated and flexible user experience across the board, making QA and testing a vital step in the application development process.
“The State of Web Application Testing” findings underscore the importance of effective application testing for today’s businesses. Almost every survey respondent cited that application quality is important, with 84 percent believing it is very or critically important. Despite this, findings revealed that 94 percent of teams still face challenges when it comes to conducting adequate quality assurance (QA). These challenges include schedule constraints, the inability to sufficiently test across all browsers and devices, and communication disconnects between development and QA teams. Respondents noted that a lack of proper QA can result in decreased customer satisfaction (79 percent), reputational damage (59 percent) and additional costs (56 percent). The vast majority of participants (87 percent) disclosed that quality problems occur anywhere from weekly to a few times per year.
“Having a solid strategy for application testing is critical to the success of today’s businesses,” said Diane Hagglund, founder and principal of Dimensional Research. “The fact that 79 percent of respondents use automated testing solutions signals a step in the right direction. However, the survey results indicate that there is always room for improvement and the addition of mature test automation practices.”
Nearly three quarters (73 percent) of survey participants plan to increase their investment in testing within the coming year. The majority of respondents (42 percent) cite the reason being that end users are demanding higher quality. Other reasons include the need to improve time-to-market, reducing overall costs, response to quality issues and overall development budget increases.
“As companies continue to build more sophisticated, data-intensive and business-critical web applications that need to be supported across a wide variety of end-user devices, the importance of effective QA will only continue to grow” said Art Landro, CEO of Sencha. “Customers have come to expect a perfect user experience every time they access an application – no matter where they are. It’s vital that companies prioritize automated testing and QA practices to keep their applications current and customers satisfied – and to stay competitive.”
Summary of key survey findings:
Web application quality issues are still common – and have serious consequences for businesses.
- 98 percent report business-impacting quality issues
- 53 percent say their business-impacting quality issues occur at least monthly
- 99 percent say quality issues have direct business impact including customer satisfaction (79 percent), damage to reputation (59 percent), and cost to fix problems (58 percent)
Quality challenges are a complicated mix of culture, process and people.
- 94 percent face challenges conducting adequate QA
- 79 percent automate testing, but only 8 percent have a mature test automation practice
- 61 percent say it’s harder to hire a test automation engineer than a software developer
- Only 52 percent have a clear process for frontline staff to flag urgent quality issues
- 44 percent do not hold employees accountable for business impacting quality problems
Organizations are investing to improve application quality.
- 73 percent will increase testing investment in the coming year
- Testing investment increases occurring because of customer demand, improved time-to-market, cost reduction, pressure from business stakeholders, and more
To access the full Dimensional Research survey report on “The State of Web Application Testing,” please visit: http://pages.sencha.com/the-state-of-web-application-testing.html.
Survey Methodology and Participant Demographics
In April 2017, a total of 1,011 development professionals from a global database were invited to participate in an online survey on the topic of application testing. Participants were asked questions on a wide range of subjects including challenges, use of automation, importance of quality and future plans. Participants represented a wide range of roles, geographies, job levels and development experience. Incentive for participation was a copy of the report.