There’s a high chance that poor test tools are preventing your success. Inadequate test tools are a contributing factor to a high proportion of project delays and major software failures.
Thankfully it’s an easy problem to solve.
Doing so will allow your businesses to accelerate faster than ever before. In this insight, we highlight 5 signs that you need to change your test tool.
How do Companies Outgrow Their Test Tool?
Outgrowing test tools is a really common problem, and it usually creeps up on you over time.
Within most companies, testing and test teams tend to evolve relatively organically. Teams often start off as small, potentially one-person-bands, using rudimentary tools like Excel or Word.
Over time, test teams swell a little, without dedicated recruitment.
When this happens, It’s quite normal for testing to pull in resources from other teams to cope with the increased workload.
Gradually, as testing itself drives deeper into projects, a few permanent test team members might be recruited or drafted in. However, throughout this process, test tools are rarely given any focus.
Your test team is expected to just manage with the tools they have. This does not set anyone up for success.
Inadequate Test Tools Can Cause Major Business Problems
It’s easy to downplay the importance of testing, some consider it little more than a tick-box exercise. But testing is a critical project activity.
Successful projects take testing seriously.
Not only does testing help you prove and improve software quality, but it provides your with vital progress information, and is also a major gatekeeper protecting your live environments.
Delivering a project is a bit like running a marathon. It’s a long hard slog, and by the time you get towards the end you might well be running out of steam.
However, the successful runners keep their momentum and almost surge towards the finish. Your project can only surge toward the finish line with rapid testing and adequate test tooling.
Relying on inadequate test tools will cause your project to slow down because:
- Your test manager will end up spending too much time reporting
- They’ll be too busy trying to find results or trying to track progress
- There’s no opportunity to innovate or drive improvements into your test team
- With no central view of testing, testers can easily duplicate effort
- Test cases and results can be lost or deleted
- And so on…
Unfortunately, these testing issues can have a dramatic impact on the project and wider business.
- Slow testing means slow releases
- Poor testing means poor software quality
With inadequate test tools, your projects end up delayed, and full of issues. You can flog your test team as hard as you like, but if they’re hamstrung by poor tools, there’s very little room for improvement. Plus, without test tools, any learnings from each release are easily lost, particularly as and when the team changes.
Conversely, with the right test tools, you can accelerate testing and improve software quality, all while reducing test project effort.
5 Signs That You Need to Change Your Test Tool
- Test managers spend more than 1 day a week generating reports
- It takes longer than 5 minutes to find a test result
- Your test cases are stored on a laptop
- Test managers have to manually send stakeholders the latest view of testing
- Test managers must chase status updates, rather than having information instantly available all the time
So, You Need a New Test Tool, What Next?
With modern test tools, there are so many different options to choose from.
Agile or DevOps? There are certain tools that work better in agile and DevOps projects, and some that work better with more traditional development approaches. Most tools will cater for all approaches, but when choosing a new test tool, have a think about which approach you use most and choose the appropriate tool.
Seat or Concurrent licenses? you need to understand if you want a seat or concurrent licenses. Seat licenses are specific to a particular machine and are significantly cheaper. With concurrent licenses, you have a set number of licenses that can be used at any one time. Concurrent licenses are useful if your testers are working at different times or if you use offshore testers.
On-prem or Cloud? Do you want on-premises or cloud-based licenses?
Permanent or Term? Finally, do you want permanent or term?
Need Professional-Grade Test Tools? We Can Help
If you need professional test tools, Calleo can help. We provide a wide range of test tools and are a Micro Focus Gold Level partner.
We are more than just a provider; we are an ally and an advisor. We understand the total cost of ownership and the importance of a positive ROI. We invest our time to get to the root of your needs and will remain on hand throughout your journey.
Calleo will work with you to build your test tools business case and can help you position the concept to your colleagues.
If You Need New Test Tools, Get in Touch with Calleo Today
Tool selection can be tricky, especially with so many options available. Calleo will help you understand your options and how to select the perfect tool.
