Software Testing: Evolution over the years

Remember the infamous crash of Mars Polar Lander due to early shutdown of engines? The hardware failure occurred due to some glitch in the probe’s software. It could have been prevented if the code for engine shutdown was tested before launching the probe which would have saved billion of dollars for the US government. Such major failures direct towards drawback in the Quality Assurance (QA) efforts this is where software testing comes into play.

Software testing has expanded its wingspan in various domains like defence, aerospace programs, e-learning, gaming, banking, etc. Wherever software has penetrated into, software testing and quality assurance also makes their mark. The need for a quality assured product has increased over the last 1-2 decades. Software testing industry has witnessed big changes in last few years which include automated testing services, performance testing, globalization and localization testing, etc. The scenario is totally different from what it was 5 or 10 years ago. Requirement of skilled and certified professionals has gone up. The gap between bug creation and bug detection should be narrowed down to eliminate any complications in the future. All defence programs are now tested while undergoing development so as to cut down the risk. America’s aerospace and defence technology giant, Lockheed Martin, recently bought VectorCAST testing tool to test Lockheed Martin’s C-130J Super Hercules’s Special Mission Processor software from Vector Software; this depicts the need for quality in defense systems too. The emphases on 4Rs – reliability, repeatability, reuse and robustness – has given a direction to testing and leading it to business led activity.

Talking about gaming industry, earlier, the developer was responsible for testing the game he developed. Today, there is an independent QA Testing team which tests the games. The more complex the game, the more resources are there in QA team; more tools and creative methodologies are being used to carry out the testing efforts. It has become a critical component of game development. It is set to grow exponentially with the evolution of high end gaming technologies and availability of games on various platforms such gaming consoles, PC, mobile phones, social networks such as Facebook, etc.

 In banking domain, on the other hand, applications require intense QA before any release as heavy transactions are involved here. Lately, we hardly see large transactions that involve cash. It is all about electronic money. To make sure money is flowing in the right direction and is completely secure, the application needs to be thoroughly tested.

If you look at the learning domain, is the focus is more on functional, usability and accessibility as applications developed for this domain are meant for end users, who are trying to learn a new topic. Future of e-learning is bright and so is the scope of software testing services for this domain.  

There lies a wide range of opportunities for software quality testing industry to help other industries by scaling down the defects to make their applications operate without any hindrance. Other domains like ecommerce, entertainment, automobile industries, travel etc. are now relying on highly skilled quality engineers to test their applications. Offshoring plays a vital role in this soaring market of software quality testing around the world. It helps other industries to get cheap and skilled labor that can scale at short notice.