Today,technologyisbeingdevelopedatlightning
speed,anditnowplaysavitalroleinoureveryday life.Newtrendsinsoftwaredevelopmentquickly getadoptedandappliedtocreatenewandbettertechnology products.Needlesstosay,thesuccessofanysoftware and/ortechproducts(websystems,wearabledevices,app etc.)woulddependgreatlyonthequalityanduser experienceprovided.
Manysoftwarecompaniesassumethatoncethesoftwareis developed,itwillrunsmoothly,efficiently,anderror-free. Unfortunately,thisisnotthecase.Foratypicalproject, there’susuallyamandatoryphaseoftestingbeforethefinal productgetsreleasedtothepublic.
Also,manybusinesseswilloftenviewtestingandQAas somewhatanunnecessarypartoftheirsoftware developmentprocessandoftenpaylittleattentionorskip thisstagetolowercosts.Thisisamisunderstanding becausesoftwaretesting,onthecontrary,actuallyoffers manybenefitstobusinessesaswellashelptoincrease profits.
Byofferinghigh-qualitysoftwarethatworkhowit’s supposedto,userswillbeprovidedwithapositive experienceofusingtheproduct,consequentlyretainingand increasingcustomers’engagementandloyalty.Sales revenueandprofitabilitywillalsoincreaseasaresult.In addition,high-qualityproductswillprovidelong-term benefitsbyincreasingcustomers’awarenessofthecompany brandandgoodreputation.
Withoutsoftwaretesting,thebusinessmightbeputina situationofchaosduetofaultysoftware,andstrugglefor solutionsofthetemporarypatchandhotfixes.Asaresult,it willrequiredeveloperstoputinextratimeandeffortto identifytherootcauseandapplyforthefix,whichis inefficientandlowersproductivity
Incorporatingtestingfromthebeginningofthe developmentprocessallowscompaniestoworkinpeace andbemoreproductivewiththeirtime.Byadoptingthe agilepractice,wheredeveloperscanproduceanddeliver smallchunksofaproductinaccordancewithaspecific timeline,testingsoftwarecanbeperformedasitiscreated, insteadofhavingtowaituntiltheend.
Mappingtheodysseyoftheprominentsoftwaretesting solutionprovidersthataredrivingtransformationsthrough innovativeofferings,InsightsSuccessfeaturesenthralling storiesofMostAdvancedSoftwareTestingSolution Providersof2022inthelatestedition.
Flipthroughthepagesandhaveadelightfulread!
-By Shweta Handa-Gupta
Approyo approyo.com
ChristopherCarter CEO
JosephChan CEO AsiaPay asiapay.com
Configurable Management efg-mgt.com
StevenBranch OwnerandFounder
JeffreyHaight CEO Critigen critigen.com
LOGICPOINTl ogic-point.com
SpencerBrown CEO
Natuvion natuvion.com
RommanaSoftware RommanaSoftware.com
PatricDahse CEO&Co-founder
ApproyoprovidesfullSAPservicetechnologywithextensive capabilitiesinhostingandmanagedservices,upgrades,and migrationsforourcustomers,runninganySAPsupportedcore functionality
AsiaPayisadigitalpaymentserviceprovider,bringsintegrated paymentprocessingsolutionsinoneaccount,supportsbanks, merchantsandotherpsp.
ConfigurableManagementdeliversprocess-basedsolutions leveragingourstate-of-the-arttechnology.
FormerlyCritigen,Locanaisaworld-classgeospatialcompany withdecadesofexperiencecombinedwithcutting-edge solutions.
LogicPointisaDigitalFoundationscompanyfocusedon deliveringsoftwareandsolutionstodrivesuccessful transformations.
Natuvionmovesbusiness-criticaldataandprocessesfromone technologyplatformtoanother.
Dr.MagdyHanna, CTO&ChiefArchitect
SaMSolutions sam-solutions.com
Software&Services ConsultingSRL sse.com.py
PavelKhovrenkov CEO
KatherineColombino CEO
AlessandroCozzi CEO WiitS.p.A
RommanaSoftwareoffersaveryinnovativesolutionfor ApplicationLifecycleManagementtools.
SaMSolutionsisaleadingproviderofsoftwaredevelopment, softwareoutsourcingservices,customapplications,IT consultingandoffshoreprogramming.
Software&ServicesConsultingSRL(SSC)ispositionedasthe numberoneSAPBusiness
WiitisstheleadingCloudandCyberSecurityserviceprovider withastrongfocusonmanagingbusinesscriticalapps.
Some of our customers stated that the scenario process, as supported by Rommana ALM, actually helped them reduce the number of defects found by the test team by more than 70%.
Dr. Magdy Hanna CTO & Chief Architect, Rommana Software
Prevention is better than cure. Thisoldmaximholds muchtruthinit.Sothen,whystillmostsoftware testingfocusesonbugdetectionthanbug prevention?
Dr.MagdyHanna,CTO&ChiefArchitectatRommana Software,believesthequalityofasoftwarereleaseisonly asgoodasthequalityofthetestingperformedonthe softwarebeforeitisreleased.Goodtestsexposethe softwaretoreal-lifescenariosthatcanpossiblyhappen whenthesystemisworkinginthefield.Buttest professionalsinmostcompaniesandagenciestreattest designasanadhocactivity–referringtothetaskas‘test casecreation.’
“To help these organizations make their test process more effective, we developed our ‘Scenario-Based Development and Testing’approach. The process, which is fully implemented in Rommana ALM, guides test teams to create positive and negative scenarios that will be used to create their test cases. Most importantly, the process helps test teams transform testing, normally a defect detection activity, into a defect prevention activity,” saysDr.Hanna.
Inthisapproach,scenariosarecreatedbeforethe developmentteamsstartdevelopingthesystem.These scenariosguidethedevelopmentprocesssothatthesystem
canbebuilttohandlemostofthescenariosbeforeitgetsto testing.Testingthenbecomesmoreofaconfirmation processtosimplyconfirmthatthesystemworksas expected.
Dr.Hannashares, “Some of our customers stated that the scenario process, as supported by Rommana ALM, actually helped them reduce the number of defects found by the test team by more than 70%. This defect prevention saves companies thousands of dollars spent on testing the system, finding defects, fixing those defects, and re-testing those fixes.”
Our ‘Scenario-Based Development and Testing’ approach transforms testing from a defect detection activity into a defect prevention activity.
Usingthisproactivetestingmethodology,Rommana Softwarehaspositioneditselfasaleadingproviderof Application Lifecycle Management solutionswithitsfully integratedRommanaALMsolution.Thesoftwarewas architectedtoallowprojectteamstouseagile methodologieswhilemaintainingdisciplinedsoftware engineeringpracticesinprojectmanagement,requirement management,testmanagement,changemanagement,and defectmanagement.
Dr. Magdy Hanna shares valuable facts about Rommana Software, highlighting his professional tenure in the company.
Below are the excerpts of the interview:
WithaSparktoAugment
Dr.Hannareminisces– “As I was teaching my methodologies and approaches to graduate students and other software professionals, they always asked what commercial tools that are out there can help them follow these approaches. Unfortunately, my answer was always none that I know of.”
ThenDr.Hannastartedtodevelopaprototypeofhisown,a toolthatsupportedsomeofhismethodologiesand approaches.HecalledtheprototypeReqTestProasit includedRequirementManagement,TestManagement,and ProjectManagementmethodologies.
Hegaveaversionoftheprototypetoclassparticipantsona CDtotrythemethodologiesintheirownprojectsattheir companies.
Receivingusefulfeedbackovertheyears,Dr.Hanna continuedtoimprovetheprototype.Whenhelaunchedthe International Institute for Software Testing in1999,he continuedtousethemethodologiesandtoolsinsomeofthe courseshetaughtfortheinstitute.
“In 2009, I realized that the market was in need of a commercial software tool to support these methodologies, so I launched the development of Rommana ALM. The early versions of the software were used by the United States Army and a number of large government contractors such as ITT, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin. The software continued to evolve based on feedback we received.”
By2013,RommanaALMwasselectedtobeincludedinan independentmarketreviewbyaresearchfirmcalled RQX Global Thestudycompared33differentcommercialtools thatwereavailableatthetime.RommanaALMreceived thehighestscoreof7.1andwasawarded:
•
• The Best Requirement Management
•
ThesoftwareprovidedthebestALMCloudsolutionata timewhereuserscoulduseitinthecloudwithouthavingto installanythingontheirsystems.Additionally,Rommana ALMwasawardedthe Gold Requirement Management Tool awardbyRQXGlobal.
Oneverycriticalaspectofsupportingsoftwaretestingthat Dr.HannadevelopedinRommanaALMisthebackward andforwardtraceabilityoftestdesignsandtestcasesto otherprojectentities.Mostsoftwaretestingtoolsinthe
marketallowprojectteamstomaintaintestcaseswithout tracingthemtoprojectentitiessuchasrequirements,user stories,designcomponents,andbugreports.
Thereasonisthatmostofthesetoolsarestandalonetools thatmaysupportoneortwoofthesoftwareproduct lifecycles.However,becauseitisafullyintegrated software,RommanaALMuserscantracetestdesignsto anyprojectentity.Thistraceabilityisnotonlyrequiredasa goodsoftwareengineeringpractice,butitisalsomandated bytheFDAandotherqualitystandardsforregulated industries.
Dr.Hannathinksthatcompaniesputtoomuchemphasison testingasadefectdetectionprocess.Asaresult,project
teamsspendtoomuchoftheirtimeinthe test-fix-retest cycle,eventhoughitisknownthattestingdoesnotfindall thedefects.
“We know that customers do not forgive when major parts of the system do not work or at least do not work as expected. That is why I always advise test teams to transform their test process into a defect prevention process,” hecontinues, “The most effective way to prevent defects is through methods such as Scenario-Based Development and Testing, Impact Analysis-Based Regression Testing, and careful reviews of requirements.”
Anothereffectivebutrarelyusedmethodtopreventdefects is Root-Cause Analysis.Whenacustomerexperiencesa defect,thedevelopmentimmediatelyrushestofixthe problemandsendsthefixtothetestteamtore-testit. However,rarelydoesaprojectteamtakesthetimeto analyzetherootcauseofthesedefects.Iftheydid,they wouldbeabletofindwhereintheprocessthosedefects werecreated. “Fixing the process will prevent those types of defects from happening in the future,” commentsDr. Hanna
Dr.HannaspokeaboutvariouschallengesthatRommana Softwarehasfacedinwideraudienceadoption.Thebiggest oneisthatdecision-makersinmostlargercompanieswish togoonlywith‘bigname’providers.
Project teams spend too much of their time in the test-fix-retest cycle, even though it is known that testing does not find all the defects.
Heshares, “We had the opportunity to show our product to many technical managers in large companies who indicated that our product was exactly what their projects needed, but then the purchase was never approved by upper management although the price was much less than what other large provider charge. So, although we succeeded in providing products and services to some defense organizations and large government contractors, competition with big name providers remains a challenge for us.”
Anotheroversight,accordingtoDr.Hanna,hasbeen focusingonperfectingtheproductatthecostofallocating moremoneytosalesandmarketingoftheproduct.
“Responding to customer requests for product enhancements is a priority for us, and we pride ourselves on our fast response to those requests. Since my early years in software, I have always adopted the ‘Customer Delight’ principle to create loyal customers. However, a superior product would not sell itself without an effective sales and marketing strategy.”
“Although Rommana ALM is a complete, fully integrated set of tools and methodologies that cover every aspect of a software product lifecycle, we realize that project teams using software tools from other vendors may wish to use complimentary features of Rommana ALM from within whatever tool they are currently using,” saysDr.Hanna. ThatiswhyRommanaSoftwarestartedpartneringwith somelargetoolvendorsbyintegratingRommanaALM
withtheirofferings.Thecompanyjustcompletedthe implementationofaRommanaALMJiraAppthatruns fromwithinJira.UsingtheRommanaALMJiraapp,Jira userscanbenefitfromRommanaALM’scomplimentary features,suchasScenario-BasedExploratoryTesting, Scenario-BasedFormalTesting,RequirementManagement, andUseCaseManagement.
Recently,thecompanyalsostartedintegratingRommana ALMwithMicrosoft’sADO(AzureforDevOps). IntegratingwithADOwillallowADOuserstoperformthe sameRommanaALMcomplimentaryfeatures.
Dr.Hanna,intheend,leftuswithsomegoodpracticesthat organizationsshouldfollowforbuddingentrepreneursthat aspiretoventureintothesoftwareindustry:
• Makesureyoukeepupwiththeever-changing technology.
• Hireonlythebesttalents.
• Don’tcutcorners.
• Don’tunderestimatecompetition–makesureyou knowwhatdifferentiatesyourproductorservicefrom theirs.
• Buildaqualityproductinitiallybecausetestingwillnot findallqualityproblems.
ToknowmoreaboutRommanaSoftware,pleasevisit thewebsitewww.rommanasoftware.com
