According to a study conducted by software test automation company Leapwork, 85% of U.S. CEOs believe that releasing software that has not been comprehensively tested is not a problem as long as it is patch tested later. Additionally, 79% of testers claimed that 40% of software is released to the market without performing adequate testing.
In addition, 76% of testers and 95% of CEOs who participated in the study by Leapwork said they were worried about losing their jobs in the event of a software failure. Both groups concurred that poorly tested software puts the organization at risk overall; 77% of CEOs claimed that software failures have damaged their company’s image in the past 5 years.
“Our research shows the widespread issues that exist in software testing today. While CEOs and testers understand the consequences of releasing software that hasn’t been tested properly, an alarming number still think it’s acceptable to issue it and prefer to rely on patch testing afterward to fix any problems,” said Christian Brink Frederiksen, co-founder, and CEO at Leapwork. “This often comes down to not thinking there is a viable option and choosing speed over stability – a devil’s dilemma. But what’s more concerning is the disconnect between CEOs and their developer teams, indicating that testing issues are falling under the radar and not being escalated until it’s too late.”
When questioned why the software was not tested appropriately before deployment, 39% of CEOs identified “dependence on manual testing” as the primary cause. However, many testers cited a reluctance to invest in test automation, with only 43% admitting to using some form of automation. Testers also cited a shortage of time (34%) and an inability to test all software due to the higher pace of development (29%).
“We’ve seen the implications of huge software failures in the news, so on the current trajectory, more and more companies will struggle with failures and outages which could cost them a significant amount in financial and reputational damage. Businesses need to urgently consider a different approach and embrace no code test automation systems that don’t require coding skills and free up their skilled teams to focus on the most high-value tasks,” Frederiksen said.
It is also to be noted that 34% and 42% of CEOs and testers, respectively, highlighted a shortage of skilled developers as a major issue. Furthermore, more than one-third of CEOs stated that ‘lack of money invested in testing professionals, including continuing professional development,’ is the major reason software is not effectively tested. Leapwork
