TEST Magazine - April - May 2014

TEST: THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTER

INNOVATION FOR SOFTWARE QUALITY VOLUME 6: ISSUE 2 APRIL 2014 THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTER

www.testmagazine.co.uk

CASH IN HAND? CONSUMERS CAN SOON SECURELY LINK THEIR CREDIT CARDS TO THEIR PALMS FOR FASTER PAYMENTS

VOLUME 6: ISSUE 2: APRIL 2014

INSIDE: INTERVIEW: THE EVOLUTION OF SOFTWARE TESTING MOBILE TESTING: BATTERY LIFE: FROM 100% TO 0% IN 60 MINUTES

NATIONAL SOFTWARE TESTING CONFERENCE 2014 PROGRAMME: PAGE 27 - 46

CONTENTS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS 7

18.

TESTA opens for entries May 1st

Huge growth in demand for DevOps talent

INTERVIEW 10

NEW POS SYSTEM IS IN SAFE HANDS

Softwaring Hard: What’s it all about?

Sophie-Marie Odum speaks to QA engineer and director of Softwaring Hard, Alex Pop about the Softwaring Hard documentary...

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

14

Agile, DevOps and Continuous Delivery: What do all these software developments mean to you? Mark Warren explains...

INDUSTRY BENCHMARK REPORT 16

National Software Testing Conference

Breaking today’s boundaries to shape tomorrow

27.

T he results: The European Software Testing Benchmark Report

NATIONAL SOFTWARE TESTING CONFERENCE 2014 PROGRAMME

Commissioned for the industry and put together by those within the industry, TEST Magazine provides the key findings from The European Software Testing Benchmark Report to help serve the industry...

COVER STORY

2014

The latest trends in software development: What do they mean to you?

18

New POS system is in safe hands

Using the palm of your hand to pay for goods will soon be a real possibility. SophieMarie Odum speaks to Matt Saricicek, chief technology officer and co-founder of Biyo, to find out more...

MOBILE TESTING 20

The top 10 reasons why apps fail testing Martin Wrigley addresses the top 10 reasons why mobile apps fail testing...

LAST WORD 26

14.

THE LATEST TRENDS IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: WHAT DO THEY MEAN TO YOU?

My head hurts Dave Whalen shares his recent experience of testing mobile devices…

NATIONAL SOFTWARE TESTING CONFERENCE 2014 PROGRAMME

27

The National Software Testing Conference 2014 full programme; speaker information; and company profiles are all available within this issue, helping you to effectively plan your two days…

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

PAGE 3

Assurance is the art of making possibilities, possible.

In today’s technology-driven world, testing and QA functions must ensure that futuristic innovations, systems and services are fit for purpose, work seamlessly, and support the organisation’s transformational objectives.

There exists a way of certainty: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). With TCS’ independent enterprise testing arm, Assurance Services Unit (ASU), you can assure your business with market-proven, world-class experience, expertise and guidance. Visit tcs.com/assurance and you’re certain to learn more. Or write to us at: global.assurance@tcs.com

IT Services Business Solutions Consulting Scan the code to know about TCS Assurance Services

LEADER

MAJOR SOFTWARE GLITCH AT THE HEART OF THE INTERNET

B

reaking news recently emerged that a major security flaw at the heart of the Internet, termed Heartbleed, may have been exposing users’ personal information and passwords to hackers for the past two years. However, because the OpenSSL bug leaves no trace and there is no way to know what information was obtained, we may never know its full impact.

OpenSSL is the technology behind the TLS/SSL protocol, which many take as a sign of trustworthiness and reputability when browsing the Internet. It is used by many websites to encrypt data, which is why the Heartbleed bug is arguably one of the most significant developments in the history of website security. The bug, which has potentially affected millions of websites, allows unauthorised users to extract data from the server’s memory, which could contain usernames, passwords, encryption keys or even credit card information.

After the flaw came to light, Internet users were urged to change all online passwords, creating widespread panic; and corporations worked to identify points of vulnerability, creating software patches, and updating passwords and encryption keys. However, simultaneously, warnings surfaced that some tools designed to detect the Heartbleed vulnerability are flawed and would not detect the problem on affected

websites, which only exacerbates the problem.

Do you want to write for OpenSSL is an open TEST magazine? source technology, Please email sophie. meaning that the source code odum@31media. is freely available to download co.uk and modify, with no permission required. It is now under more scrutiny than any open source software project ever. In light of this, Heartbleed has raised a debate about the testing of open source software – is professional open source code testing now necessary?

Do you agree? As always, I would be interested in hearing your views. Please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Until next time..

Sophie-Marie Odum Editor

© 2014 31 Media Limited.

All rights reserved.

TEST Magazine is edited, designed, and published by 31 Media Limited. No part of TEST Magazine may be reproduced, transmitted, stored electronically, distributed, or copied, in whole or part without the prior written consent of the publisher. A reprint service is available.

Opinions expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or TEST Magazine or its publisher, 31 Media Limited.

ISSN 2040-01-60

T H I R T YO N E

EDITOR Sophie-Marie Odum sophie.odum@31media.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)203 056 4599 ADVERTISING MANAGER Nick Hayward nick.hayward@31media.co.uk Tel: +44(0)203 668 6949 ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Sarah Walsh sarah.walsh@31media.co.uk Tel: +44(0)203 668 6945

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PAGE 5

1st - 3rd July 2014 | Hilton Metropole, Edgware Road | London Hosted By

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Find the tickets and programme online BOOK NOW and receive an additional 5% discount with the code: " TEST5". www.wcsq.org

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NEWS TESTA OPENS FOR ENTRIES MAY 1ST

THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTING AWARDS

2 0 1 4

Following on from its huge success last year, the second European Software Testing Awards (TESTA) is back for 2014, and opens for entries on May 1st.

2013’s inaugural ceremony, which took place at the prestigious Marriott Hotel, London, and hosted by Peter Dickson, the most famous voiceover artist in the UK, was an amazing success. Attracting some huge names in its first year, such as John Lewis, Microsoft and Waitrose, hundreds of software testing professionals came

together to honour and celebrate companies and individuals who had accomplished outstanding achievements in the software testing and quality assurance market.

TESTA is an independent awards programme designed to celebrate and promote excellence, best practice and innovation in the software testing profession. It commends the individuals, teams and businesses who are actively involved in the pursuit of technological perfection.

Organised by publishers of TEST Magazine and sponsored by Borland, TESTA is not only a celebration of people, it is also the opportunity for a highly skilled and extremely valuable market to join together and celebrate

BBM FOR WINDOWS PHONE ENTERS TESTING PHASE At the end of March 2014, BlackBerry officially announced that the BBM app and service will come pre-loaded on Nokia Lumia devices in certain markets, following the official release on the Windows Phone platform.

Now recent reports suggest that “BBM for Windows Phone is finally available for testers” meaning the app might get launched sooner than expected.

However, BlackBerry has yet to officially confirm the news about

BBM app for Windows Phone devices. And the company might not speak about it until a public test version of the mobile client is made available for download.

With BBM for Windows Phone finally hitting testing phase, it’s clear that it might be a few months away from a final release too, and the timing fits with what Microsoft announced for the new OS version. It’s hoped that both of them should be ready for deployment this summer.

their industry.

Entering is an opportunity for the market as a whole to be acknowledged and rewarded.

With such recognition, comes self belief, raised awareness, the breeding of success, the attraction of young and bright talent, as well as bringing high levels of exposure and acclaim for each individual, team and organisation.

TESTA is Europe’s premier recognition and celebration platform for any businesses, large or small, that is aligned to software testing and quality assurance. If you would like to enter, just visit www.softwaretestingawards. com from May 1st, for more information.

APPLE WILL REPORTEDLY INFORM USERS OF FIXED PROBLEMS According to reports, Apple is testing a feature in its maps application that will notify users when an error has been fixed.

Apple encourages users to submit any issues or errors that they might have spotted, and thanks to this feature, it will prompt users when a problem has been fixed. It is hoped that this feature will roll out in the near future, or perhaps with the release of iOS 8.

POLL RESULTS Last month we asked, "DO YOU TEST YOUR SOFTWARE, IN THE CONTEXT OF A NETWORK BEFORE YOU DEPLOY?" at www.testingmagazine.com.

33% 67%

YES NO

For the latest news, visit softwaretestingnews.co.uk and follow us @testmagazine

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

PAGE 7

NEWS HUGE GROWTH IN DEMAND FOR DEVOPS TALENT The number of permanent DevOps Engineer posts in the UK has jumped 347% in the past two years, with average salaries increasing 16%, revealing a huge growth in demand for DevOps talent.

Rackspace, the open cloud company, has revealed that the position of ‘DevOps Engineer’ has jumped 222 places in a list of IT jobs skills/job titles, making it one of the fastest growing skills needed by the industry.

This change comes as the software market becomes more like the fastmoving consumer goods sector, which requires developers and IT departments to work more closely

than ever before to accelerate time, to-market for their products and features.

The average UK salary of a DevOps Engineer is also on the rise, increasing from £47,500 in 2012 to £55,000 in 2014, far outpacing the increase in the average national earnings. The top technology skills DevOps engineers currently need are Linux (79%), Puppet (60%), Chef (47%), Python (44%) and Ruby (42%), according to

job adverts for the position for the six months to March 2014.

Toby Owen, Head of Technical Product Strategy for Rackspace International, said, “Businesses have never been more interested in DevOps, and how they can be more innovative and agile. DevOps and cloud are strong allies for organisations who are looking to unlock meaningful efficiency gains. As enterprises search for the talent and expertise to build, manage and maintain systems, the DevOps Engineer is one of the hottest jobs out there.”

DEMAND FOR PERMANENT IT AND COMPUTING WORKERS CONTINUES

JOB SECURITY INCREASES FOR IT PROFESSIONALS

Demand for permanent IT and computing workers improved for the 55th month running in March 2014, according to the latest Report on Jobs published today by KPMG and the REC.

In a study of over 2,000 British employees, those working in IT and technology recorded a 2% point increase in feelings of job security, according to new research from Randstad Technologies. However, over half of IT professionals still say they either feel neutral or slightly insecure about their current prospects.

Moreover, the growth rate accelerated to the quickest since August 1998. Demand for permanent employees was also stronger than that for temporary/contract staff, as shown by the respective indices scoring 69.6 and 63.7.

Whereas March’s reading for permanent IT workers registered above the respective index for all sectors (67.5), the index for temporary/contract IT professionals posted below the national average of 66.0.

Latest data indicated that demand for permanent IT and computing workers came in third out of nine on the demand for staff “league table”. The situation was less positive for temps, with the sector ranking 7th.

Heath Jackson, partner in the CIO Advisory practice at KPMG, said, “It’s encouraging to note that the demand for permanent technology workers improved for the 55th month running, with more organisations offering contracts for permanent positions than temporary roles over the past month.

“The technology sector figure resonates with the national numbers, indicating employment is on the up. The next step will be for candidates to put themselves forward for the roles on offer to improve prospects – something they still seem unwilling to do.

“Time intervals are also a challenge. The lead-time between roles becoming active and an employee becoming productive can be up to 12 months.

The unanswered question is whether the workforce as a whole can feed the demand and meet employer requirements.”

PAGE 8

In 2009, 40% of IT workers felt secure in their jobs, fast forward to 2014, this figure increased to 42% - suggesting that recent economic growth in the sector is beginning to filter through to employee job security.

Mike Beresford, managing director of Randstad Technologies, said, “IT professionals are increasingly confident about their prospects both within their current organisation and opportunities elsewhere. However, the dynamic pace of change in both the economy and specifically the IT sector is proving a double-edged sword.

“Confidence is increasing, but working in such an ever-changing sector means there is a need to remain aware of emerging technologies, because no one really knows what the sector will look like in five years’ time. In addition, the nature of the IT sector means that contractor utilisation will change as clients begin to hire permanent resource due to the current economic ‘up’.

Contract requirements will again shift to niche or noncore project-based solutions.”

Fewer IT professionals feel pressured to work longer hours to impress managers now (15%), than they did in 2009 (16%). But in the meantime, the sector has seen a huge rise in the number of people working smarter – getting more done in less time. This is a tactic employed by some 24% of IT workers in 2014 – double the proportion who worked in this way in 2009 (12%).

Beresford continued, “With such a proliferation of new technologies, the most successful IT professionals, and the ones that employers value the most, are those who can pick up new environments, development tools and languages quickly – whilst ensuring they add value to the core business need.”

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SIVA GANESAN VICE PRESIDENT AND GLOBAL HEAD, ASSURANCE SERVICES, TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES (TCS)

EXPLORING THE NEED FOR ZERO-RISK IN ASSURANCE Siva Ganesan, Vice President and Global Head, Assurance Services, Tata Consultancy Services, writes about the significance of zero-risk in the context of digital-enabled, fast-changing, customer preferences, and provides few tips for the practical application of zero-risk in IT and assurance systems…

What is the significance of zero-risk in the context of business, especially in today’s hyper-connected, digital world where business and IT are interwoven? A few questions would perhaps help answer that.

Is it acceptable to deliver sub-optimal quality? Is it ok to not deliver a service, as required? As a consumer, would you be happy to use a product that doesn’t always deliver what it promises? Would you feel confident about using a service that has failed you once?

Not only would you not be happy, you might very quickly decide to transfer your allegiance to another supplier.

Any failure in delivery of digital produce to an endconsumer has the potential to directly impact consumer retention and brand loyalty. Hence, the importance of zero-risk in IT applications and assurance systems today.

Given the fast-changing preferences of consumers, there is a need to change our mindset from that of just delivering products and/or services to products/services that are good enough to deliver a consumer experience – supported by an assurance architecture – that we expect to be as near perfect as we can get.

While some industries such as financial services, healthcare, pharma and even aviation, are highly regulated and are expected to ensure compliance to risk mitigation norms, all industry segments have to assure systems and business processes in a holistic manner such that chances of failure are minimal. Thus the notion of application builders and assurance specialists having to team up to weed out all possible points of failure before anything is launched into the field.

DESIGNING A ZERO-RISK SYSTEM But designing a zero-risk system is not just about building a system that doesn’t fall over. It’s about ensuring that we also build the necessary recovery and resilience principles for systems to continue to sustain in the event of an unforeseen risk. An overall strategy of zero-risk may sound good in principle, but how does one ensure zero-risk systems, zero-risk assurance architectures and, furthermore, design and build principles that ensure systems recover in the event of failure?

Business requirements and their associated criteria for unacceptable and tolerable risk need to be established upfront. An additional category of negligible risk needs

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

to be added so that IT risk strategy encompasses avoidance, mitigation and acceptance.

Assurance architecture can then be built and tested within this framework to ensure zero-risk.

THIS PRACTICAL APPROACH TO ZERO-RISK CAN REAP OTHER BENEFITS SUCH AS FIRST-TIME RIGHT, COST SAVINGS, INCREASED SPEED TO MARKET AND THE ABILITY TO REGULARLY LAUNCH BUG-FREE NEW PRODUCTS AND FEATURES

Next up is the fact that not all risks are equal. There exist a category of “mission critical” risks, which absolutely have to be eliminated. There will be others, “nice-to-have’s”, which need to be whittled down as far as cost and time will allow. There will be some trade-offs in this categorisation and calibration of risk, and the starting point is identifying those risks which are of high severity and high probability. Fortunately there are mathematical models that can help us to confidently assess the risk profile before launch.

If clear and realistic business requirements are a critical success factor to design a best-in-class assurance architecture, then people, process and automation are the critical success factors required to deliver the assurance architecture. People need to have a passion for delivering excellence, which means having a “rightfirst-time” mentality. Processes need to be backed by the rigour of engineering-oriented thinking and informed by lean techniques.

This practical approach to zero-risk can reap other benefits such as first-time right, cost savings (which can be channelled into developing new product features), increased speed to market and the ability to regularly launch bug-free, new products and features.

A zero-risk system is an ambitious, but worthy goal and certainly one that today’s consumers expect. As practitioners of assurance and testing, it is important to ensure that designs, architectures, assurance methods and processes all work seamlessly to deliver systems aligned to the principle of zero-risk. Doing so, calls for a combination of science, engineering, maths and testing methods that seek to prevent risk, and in the event that risks do manifest assure to ensure recovery and sustenance is swift.

PAGE 9

INTERVIEW

ALEX POP QA ENGINEER

SOFTWARING HARD: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? Sophie-Marie Odum speaks to QA engineer and director of Softwaring Hard, Alex Pop about the Softwaring Hard documentary, which is described as the “first feature film to put the software makers and its users face-to-face to answer similar questions”…

ITS DECLARED filmmaker and QA tester / analyst.”

PURPOSE IS TO HELP From this documentary, Alex found THE SOFTWARE MAKERS that not many people understand the software industry but, in the same UNDERSTAND WHAT THE breath, think their country is the REGULAR USERS THINK ABOUT biggest victim of software piracy. He THE PROCESS AND ABOUT said, “Firstly, I was right about how THEM, AND HELP THE REGULAR many people from outside know about However, coming up with a title, proved USERS GET CLOSER TO THE the industry and about our work inside a little "hard”. Alex said, “I noticed there the industry; and secondly, pretty much is no such verb as ‘to software’ but I think TRUTH OF THE SOFTWARE everybody thinks his country is at the there should be. I then added the word DEVELOPMENT top of the software piracy around the ‘hard’ since I felt that we were doing all the PROCESS There’s software everywhere in the world, no matter which country, city or town.

Wherever you look, there’s probably software. That’s why it only seemed right for QA engineer and film director, Alex Pop to create a documentary about software.

hard work, with tight deadlines etc.

“However, later some friends told me ‘Softwaring Hard’ sounded really bad… so I thought I had to change it. I sent out an email announcing the new title as ‘Baking Software’. But my colleague Peter Roytenberg, who died in February, said ‘Keep ‘Softwaring Hard’, it is perfect, and many more people would want to see a film called 'Sofwaring Hard' than a film called ‘Baking Software’’. So that’s the story of the title. Peter will have an 'in memory of' credit at the end of the film and on IMDb.” The specific genre of this documentary is described as a humorous take on software making and what each part understands about the other. It shows the difference between what people think software is and what it really is, interviewing in 13 countries in six continents.

Its declared purpose is to help the software makers understand what the regular users think about the process and about them, and help the regular users get closer to the truth of the software development process.

Alex added, “Since I started my QA career, I have been aware that people from outside the software industry don’t know much about what it actually is, and also it seemed to be the perfect marriage of my two careers;

PAGE 10

world, which means this rate is very high everywhere, if you ask me. Not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. I had a few questions (and answers, of course) about this.

“Nothing came as a surprise,” continued Alex. “I was prepared for all the answers I got. What did come as a bit of surprise was the percentage of people who accepted to do the interview!"

As well as informing wider society about the work of software makers, testers and QA engineers, Alex hopes that this documentary will bring together the software community and form a sense of “solidarity”. Alex says he would encourage the software testing profession to watch the film and learn what “outsiders” think about the industry and about the people within the industry.

“Overall it is very encouraging,” he said. “The most important thing to learn is that the QA/business analyst / database administrator /developer/user experience/ project manager are part of the same team – they work together as a team to move the world of software forward.

“It will be a good watch for anyone in QA!” Softwaring Hard will be made available in the UK on DVD.

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

2014

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INTERVIEW

THE EVOLUTION OF SOFTWARE TESTING As LogiGear marks its 20th Anniversary, Sophie-Marie Odum speaks to CEO, President and Founder, Hung Hguyen about how the software testing industry has evolved over the years and what lies ahead…

W

ith the advancement of technology, software testing has certainly come a long way from its primitive beginnings in the fifties when its primary method was for debugging, before there was a request for a distinction between debugging and actual software testing. If we fast forward to today, although software testing is widely recognised, it is still considered a premature market.

Looking back over the past 20 years, in particular, software testing has evolved at an exponential rate as processes such as automation and cloud testing, just to name a few, have surfaced and firmly held their place within the industry. Hung Hguyen, CEO, President and Founder of LogiGear, notes two drivers that have steered the demand and changes within the industry.

DRIVERS FOR CHANGE Hung said, “There are two drivers that have created the demands and changes for software testing through the years, and each revolve around technology. The first is external, ie customer expectation. In the early days when software was not that advanced, customer expectation was not as high, but, today, as software has developed competition has risen and, with that, customer expectation has grown.

“The second driver is internal, looking at the processes, practises and people. Processes have changed from mainly waterfall to agile, and the effect this has had is that, in the past, testing was once an after thought, but today testing is a lot more integrated, thanks to agile processes. As a result, release cycles are much shorter; we’ve learned how to test faster and automation is more depended upon to turn around projects faster, through continuous integration, continuous build and continuous test before deployment.

THE VALUE OF TESTING But does everyone really understand the value of testing?

With increasing pressures within organisations to release products on time to meet agreed deadlines and stay ahead of the competition, it’s been argued that products are sometimes released without being thoroughly tested, risking reputations and incurring costly consequences.

“I think there is a problem, but there are two dimensions to that – companies who build software B2B or B2C and sell the software; and then companies who build software for their own organiations. When you build software for sale, it’s customer facing so you know that the demand for quality is very high as it’s a paid for product. So here a better job is definitely required – they cannot survive competition if they don’t do a better job. The problems of insufficient testing do exist, but I think we say that more within the IT infrastructure rather than the B2B and B2C product organisations.

“Also, in regards to software engineering, nowadays we have a much better automated workflow. Large scale test automation has improved a lot too, but we still struggle with how to do that well.”

THE NEXT 20 YEARS So what does the future hold for software testing?

“On the practise side, today, almost everyone understands the importance and value of testing and there is now a high demand for test automation. From the people perspective, testing is considered ‘cool’ and everyone wants to do testing, even the developers claim that they are better at testing than anyone else!”

PAGE 12

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

INTERVIEW

IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE CHANGES OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, WE HAVE BETTER METHODS FOR PERFORMING TESTING, WE EVEN HAVE OUTSOURCING, BUT IN MY HUMBLE OPINION I THINK THAT AUTOMATION IS “Even with current automated testing, Where will the industry be in the next 20 we do not have automated test design, years? According to Hung, we will see an STILL PRIMITIVE improvement in automated testing and hopefully the evolvement of standards for testing.

“If you look at some of the changes over the past 20 years, we have better methods for performing testing, we even have outsourcing, but in my humble opinion I think that automation is still primitive so I would expect in the next 10 to 20 years there will be more of an improvement here.

“Also there is no standard for a test. Not in regards to best practice, but I believe there should be an ideology of standards so that testers can quantify the practise better. In not having that, we currently do not have any standardisation on test automation.

“Tests have patterns and some similarity, but we currently don’t have a common database to share these tests so they can be reused. Lack of test sharing makes it difficult for improving large scale automation.

“I think that in the next 10 to 20 years we will figure out how to do ‘one-push button’ testing with very large scale automation, but to do this we need standardised test cases; knowledge sharing of tests; and better standardisation of, what I term, ‘test automation lifecycle’.

The production of automated tests are very similar to software development yet we don’t have any type of lifecycle to manage test automation, so I think we will see this happen. We will also see tools that will help manage this.

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

meaning that the whole process of creating tests and updating tests are still very primitive and manual. Over the years, we will learn how to automate the test design production and the management and adaption of the rate of change, so when the software changes we will have some automated way to adapt the test code to change with the software code.

“There are many tools that didn’t exist before, such as application lifecycle management; continuous integration with unit testing; and virtualisation. These different methods and tools help us do better testing and accelerate the pace of testing. We have much better tools today than 20 years ago.”

So how can software testers buck trends and ensure they keep up with the fast rate of change? Embrace it! Advises Hung. “Because we produce software a lot faster and in much shorter cycles, testing has to be a lot faster,” he said.

“We have to deal with this rate of change and accept the amount of change and the speed of change. Testing has to ensure it can keep up with the new way of developing and releasing software to ensure it meets the demands of customers today and in the future.”

PAGE 13

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

THE LATEST TRENDS IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: WHAT DO THEY MEAN TO YOU? Agile, DevOps and Continuous Delivery: What do all these software developments mean to you? Mark Warren, European director of Perforce Software, explains…

S

oftware development is seeing several strong trends at the moment, notably agile (which, although has been around for a while, is having something of a moment), DevOps and Continuous Delivery. For successful adoption, the role of the quality or testing professional is evolving and incorporating new skills and responsibilities.

The key desire from these initiatives is to get products out to market quickly and efficiently, removing unnecessary roadblocks and accelerating delivery. Release cycles are now measured in weeks, days or hours. This inflicts stress on many aspects of the development and release process, not least in the QA or testing stages.

FASTER RELEASES WITH AGILE Practically speaking, agile software development is about being flexible and responsive, while always keeping the end goal in mind. The most widely adopted agile methodology, “SCRUM”, focuses on short, timeboxed iterations at the end of which there should be a work product that is capable of being used by the target “customer”. The discipline of short, focused releases encourages incremental changes rather than massive big-bang releases, thereby reducing risk and allowing plans to react to changing market or customer demands.

The critical aspect of these styles of development is the definition of “done” – when is a feature ready for the

PAGE 14

customer? In poorly managed agile teams that may be a simple as “it compiles cleanly” with no consideration of what validation or testing is really needed before the customer gets access. For example, can you be sure no regressions have re-entered the application, does it meet functional and non-functional requirements, has the code been validated for licensing or IP? To have that confidence requires increased awareness of the release pipeline in the development stage.

For testing to be successful in such environments, automation is critical to ensure that not only does the build complete successfully on a regular basis, but a meaningful set of tests can be executed. This automation is usually referred to as “Continuous Integration” (often shortened to “CI” which is not the same as “Configuration Item”!) “Meaningful” is the definition’s tricky part: the test cases need to exercise enough of the code to provide confidence. However if the tests take too long to execute, then it will be hard to deliver production releases fast enough.

MOVING ON UP – CONTINUOUS DELIVERY Continuous Delivery (CD) could be considered an evolution from SCRUM. Assuming the organisation has a robust CI environment, the question is: “If all my CI tests pass, is there any reason why this application cannot be deployed into production now?” In some cases, there may be valid reasons why not, for example, formalised risk management or compliancy tasks

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

need to be completed. However, for many, the issues are historical or have a dependency on manual effort that makes frequent releases expensive or potentially risky, so investment in automated release systems is recommended. With suitable automation for build, test and deploy, production systems might be updated many times per day, not just a few times per year.

Clearly, the potential benefits are huge: software can be built faster with less effort and stress, but without compromising the quality. Problems are dealt with more quickly, and the development process becomes broader and more scalable. Product plans can be responsive to the customer, competitor or environment changes. In other words, it effectively removes the brakes from many projects.

WHAT ABOUT DEVOPS? DevOps’ focus has been to break down the walls between the development teams and the production administrators. By embedding operations expertise into development teams, release cycles can certainly be shortened and quality of releases increased. Automating this process is another natural evolution required for the next order-of-magnitude increase in productivity achievable with CD. However, it is important to not underestimate the effort required plus any associated organisation and cultural changes.

Around two thirds of organisations surveyed by Evans Data say they are already using CD for at least some of their development projects, while 28% claim to use CD for all projects. In fact, a number of pioneering companies have been following CD best practice principles, but without realising it or using that particular label.

CD BEST PRACTICES There are many considerations in deciding how to implement your CD that are outside the scope of this article (for example, managing deployment of new, incomplete features or managing the impact on the rest of the business), but when considering adopting CD, there are some well-proven best practices to increase the chances of success.

These best practice elements are: • Automation of the deployments of software components into staging and, ultimately, production servers (it’s a step on from CI) • Short feedback loops from the build system, automated testing and feedback from the customer so any errors are detected and resolved early in the development process (and changes in requirements are incorporated in future iterations) • A common version management system for all

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

FOR TESTING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN SUCH ENVIRONMENTS, AUTOMATION IS CRITICAL TO ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY DOES THE BUILD COMPLETE SUCCESSFULLY ON A contributors and to manage the REGULAR BASIS, BUT A automation, including MEANINGFUL SET OF the outputs from the TESTS CAN BE build; and the build, test EXECUTED and release scripts.

SOFTWARE TESTER IMPLICATIONS For the software tester, there are some specific implications here. For example, there is the issue of whether all elements can be tested. While it may not be necessary to test everything on every check-in, all important sub-sets of data should be tested to verify that the core product works and that regressions have not been introduced. That testing needs to happen frequently, not in one big testing task at the end of the project. The best CD systems use CI frequently, or even on every change submitted to the version management system.

The kind of highly scalable and high performance automated testing to support the kind of rapid change in a CD environment is not trivial to achieve, although modern technology is gradually solving many of the issues. For example, quick and automated provisioning of virtual machines for predictable test environments is now commonplace. Tools such as Puppet, Chef or Docker make it easier to deploy updated applications into the test environments. All of these automation systems need to be versioned and they become as critical to repeatable success as the applications themselves.

GETTING READY FOR THE FUTURE So the future looks rosy: developers will build more functionality, deliver more quickly, be more aligned with customer requirements. Smaller, incremental releases reduce risk; high-performance automation will ensure repeatability; fast feedback should improve the quality of code written in the first place. Sounds great, but it’s unlikely to be that easy.

Testing and quality experts will face some new challenges. They will have to become experts in release management and version management tools for highperformance automated testing.

In addition to the technology, testing will have to become smart, both in the way the tests are executed and in how the tests are structured or designed. Developers will take more responsibility for proving quality. Proving readiness for release won’t be just a numbers game and regardless of which methodologies are in play (agile, DevOps or – in my opinion, increasingly CD) it will be about adding value to the software chain in terms of reducing rework and speeding time to business value.

PAGE 15

INDUSTRY BENCHMARK REPORT

Supported by

THE RESULTS: THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTING BENCHMARK REPORT Commissioned for the industry and put together by those within the industry, TEST Magazine provides the key findings from The European Software Testing Benchmark Report to help serve the industry…

B

ack in March 2013, TEST Magazine carried out extensive research, supported by Borland, to provide the European software testing community with useful information to help you become more successful in your day-to-day roles.

information in here; it shows the testing industry remains pretty vibrant and engaging – certainly not boring.

Organisations seem to be – according to the data collected – taking a ‘best of breed’ approach to tooling.

This I find surprising because I had expected evidence that there’s a move to integrated suites – for cost and efficiency reasons.”

The European Software Testing Benchmark Report surveyed hundreds of testing professionals at all levels; from businesses large and small; and across various vertical sectors and countries. It provides an impartial, holistic and insightful view of the current testing market, and identifies the different nuances, trends, thinking, knowledge gaps and practises. The European Software Testing Benchmark Report was put together by a specialist steering committee of professionals to ensure a complete view of the market was captured.

POSITIVE RESPONSE Overall, the European Software Testing Benchmark Report has revealed many positive findings and demonstrates that the industry is in a very good place.

It shows that software testing is a respected practise within organisations, and many understand the value of software testing to the business, with 69% of respondents stating software testing is very valued within their organisation, and 54% said accreditation is important in their organisation.

Member of the steering committee, Su Clarke, a head of testing, said, “I was interested to take part and thought it would be (and was) a worthwhile experience. It makes interesting reading and it’s good to hear back from those involved in the testing industry.”

In addition, 96% feel it’s important for project management to be integrated with testing, whilst 82% actually integrate testing into their project management methodology.

Karen Thomas, senior practice manager, Barclaycard, found the output from the survey very insightful. She commented, “The majority of people who have chosen testing as their career path have a high proportion of testing in their role and have worked in IT for 16+ years.

They are members of industry associations/organisations, and accreditation and being recognised is very important within the organisation that they work for. What they do is extremely or very valued within the organisation and they use magazines as their source of information regarding advances in testing.”

Peter Hyams, part of the technical assurance team at Deutsche Bank, added “There is some interesting

Su added, “It is interesting to see how positive, in the main, the results are. With respondents stating that they feel that testing is valued and embedded in project management processes, etc.”

There is recognition that testing is an integrated part of the delivery cycle as 41% spend 26-50% of the SDLC on testing for a typical release; and 35% consistently follow governance frameworks (eg. quality gates, phase gates, go/no go) within SDLC; and 42% agree that their governance frameworks are reviewed regularly. But for 46%, sometimes these governance frameworks are ever overruled.

Would you agree or disagree that the tools What delivery model forms the basis of your process?

What delivery model forms the basis of your process? currently on the market meet the testing requirements for emerging technologies?

Would you agree or disagree thatnew the toolsand currently on the market meet the testing requirements for new and Other 3 emerging technologies?

Exhaustive

Ad-­‐hoc

Exploratory

61 7

Strongly Agree

Agree

Spiral

52 Neutral

W Model

13

Disagree

How satisfied with the level of support from your tools' vendor(s) are you?

PAGE 16

Iterative

3 Strongly Disagree

Waterfall

5

11 11

38

39

44

V-­‐Model

Agile

58

66

81

What types of testing does a typical release undergo in your organisation and to what extent is it automated?

(5 rating is the highest, 1 is the lowest)

Rating -­‐ 5

Rating -­‐ 4

APRIL 2014 www.testmagazine.co.uk Rating -­‐ 3 Rating -­‐ 2 | Rating -­‐ 1 Don't Know

Yes

43%

17%

No

INDUSTRY BENCHMARK REPORT

Don't Know N/A

20%

Would you agree or disagree that testing is integrated into your project management

methodology?

Would you agree or disagree that testing is integrated into your project management methodology?

How reliant are you on the use of tools to complete your testing activities?

How reliant are you on the use of tools to complete your testing activities?

5%

19%

45

38 Strongly Agree

12

Agree

Neutral

4

Disagree

2 Strongly Disagree

Do you feel it is important for project management to be integrated with testing?

Important

Important

DELIVERY MODELS

Very Reliant Neutral

Not Reliant

Not at All Reliant Other

Thinking specifically about the tools you use how would you rate them for the following?

(5 rating is the highest, 1 is the lowest)

technologies. This is positive that the various technology available Rating -­‐ 5 -­‐ 4 Rating -­‐ 3 today and in theRating future will haveRating -­‐ 2 a higher chance of meeting 34 1 45 12 2 17 for money andValue maintaining consumer expectations.

Flexibility 17 67 0 11 2 12

When asked, “what delivery model forms the basis of your process?” 23% answered agile and 19% replied Copyright 2014, 31 Media Ltd. All rights reserved. waterfall. This came as surprise to Su. She said, “The number of organisations still using the waterfall model was a surprise, as I thought this had fallen much further out of favour than this report indicates. However, the Report confirmed that there has been a major shift towards agile testing methodology adoption.”

Furthermore, 48% of respondents use an onshore model within their testing organisation, whilst 18% use offshore.

Karen believes that more companies adopt onshore

models because they implement agile methods. She said, “Predominately there is an onshore resource

model, which may be the outcome that agile as a Do you find that these governance frameworks are ever overruled?

delivery model and TDD as a development method score high.”

Rating -­‐ 1

N/A

Rating -­‐ 1

N/A

THERE IS SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION IN HERE; Karen said, “Respondents 29 76 26 8 1 13 Reliability IT SHOWS THE TESTING are satisfied with the tools Speed they of installation 28 47 10 0 15 REMAINS INDUSTRY that use in their role, it53 is a multi -tool environment PRETTY VIBRANT AND 28 72 37 3 0 12 Ease of use trending towards open source; ENGAGING –

they learn these tools by using

CERTAINLY NOT

them, they meet their needs with Thinking about the vendor that supplies your tools how satisfied are you with the following?

BORING regard tohighest, emerging technologies (5 rating is the 1 is the lowest)

and are satisfied with the availability and scalability of these tools, usage Rating -­‐ 5 tools, Rating -­‐ as 4 expected, Rating -­‐ 3 Rating of automation is -­‐ 2 very highisin testing.”

How important accreditation in your organisation?

0

45 19 5 1 26 Overall customer experience 3 Although testing is much more recognised within 32 19 6 2 30 Overall commitment to your b3% usiness 8 organisations as Availability a large proportion of budgets 10 34 25 company 3 1 25 care 9 32 (32% 29 spend 5 1 36 are assigned toCustomer software testing £50,000+ 6% support 17% 46 5 1 36 on tools inRecognising a Customer typical year),9 but 34 45 out 29 of27 114 respondents your need 12 12 0 37 Extremely Important still ranked “budget” as one the biggest to Response to your queries 12 of 41 26 7 constraints 1 37 Very 17 then 43 21 question, 5 1 Important 34 knowledge This their testing Product approach. begs the how 51 5 0 34 Service level provision 11 can testing teams ensure that enough of23 yearly Neutral budgets 37% are adequately assigned to testing?

Not Important

THE TOOLS 46 reliant on the 52% of respondents said they are extremely use of tools to complete their testing activities, compared to 16% who are very reliant and only 5% who are not reliant.

16

16

14

9 50% agree that the tools currently on the market meet the testingUsually requirements and emerging Consistently Often for new Sometimes Seldom

Would you agree or disagree that your governance frameworks are reviewed regularly?

Would you agree or disagree that your governance frameworks are reviewed regularly?

3%

Extremely Reliant

16%

52%

Karen continued, “It is very satisfying that there is an overwhelming recognition that testing is an integrated part of the delivery cycle. It is extremely important to have project management integrated into this 60 process, and that delivery in most instances is for 36 utilising the right level of control and use of governance 5 0 0 frameworks.”

Extremely Very Important Neutral Not Important Not at All

5% 3%

12%

13%

10%

Not community. at All Important 37% Overall, the Report hugely benefits the testing Copyright 2014, 31 Media Ltd. A“The ll rights Report reserved. puts the work we each do Peter commented, in context. It is easy to get blinded by the ways of working in your particular organisation – and not see the bigger

picture. This reports helps address that.”

To view the full report, please visit: Which organisation would you use to provide accreditation/s? www.softwaretestingnews.co.uk (Please refer to individual responses supplied)

What accreditations are you considering, if any?

(Please refer to individual responses supplied)

What resourcing models are used within your

testing organisation? (tick all that apply) What resourcing models are used within your testing organisation? (tick all that apply)

Strongly Agree

48

Agree

32% 30%

Who owns the testing process in your organsiation?

(Please refer to individual answers)

Neutral

Disagree

32

65

62

Strongly Disagree

25

20

8

4

N/A

PAGE 17

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk Copyright 2014, 31 Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

COVER STORY

NEW POS SYSTEM IS IN SAFE HANDS Using the palm of your hand to pay for goods will soon be a real possibility. SophieMarie Odum speaks to Matt Saricicek, chief technology officer and co-founder of Biyo, to find out more…

O

nce upon a time, the prospect of being able to pay for goods with your mobile phone was considered advanced and futuristic, but one US company has recently gone one step further with the creation of Biyo. The all-inone, point-of-sale system (POS) and biometric payment terminal for small and mid-sized businesses allows consumers to link their credit cards to their palms for quicker, more convenient and more secure checkouts.

Revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014, which took place in Las Vegas at the beginning of the year, Biyo is said to easily and securely scan palm vein patterns, which are considered unique to every individual and cannot be lifted, traced, or replicated in any way due to the nature of the sensor that looks for flowing blood.

When a consumer registers at one store, their palm can be used to pay at any Biyo merchant. There is no need to register more than once and consumers receive digital receipts. In addition, the company plans on expanding its offering to include applications for ATMs, boarding

passes and gym memberships. Although there are no plans to launch in the UK just yet, it is expected to launch elsewhere this year.

The concept for Biyo began in 2011 and today the team consists of 15 people dedicated to testing the software, illustrating how thorough its testing procedures are.

The team adopts an agile method, where the testers, developers and project managers all work together.

As Biyo has various different end points – mobile, which will be made available next month, terminal and online – Biyo requires vigorous testing and security is a major factor.

SECURITY IS TOP PRIORITY While signatures can be forged and pin codes cracked, vein patterns are more difficult to copy. However, Biyo still understands that it is critical to get the security right from the outset for any payment system as there is a huge potential for fraud around the world. News recently revealed how Mobile Point of Sale (MPOS) devices can be easily hacked, leaving banks, retailers and millions of customers exposed to serious fraud.

OTHER COMPANIES WHO CREATE POS SYSTEMS MAY PLACE MORE IMPORTANCE ON BUGS, BUT THAT IS A GIVEN FOR US. WE WON’T RELEASE ANYTHING THAT IS BUGGY. OUR MAIN CONCERN IS SECURITY

PAGE 18

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

COVER STORY

At the SyScan security conference in Singapore, researchers demonstrated how an attacker could quickly gain control over a MPOS terminal, allowing them to gather PIN and credit card data, and event change the software on the device so that it accepts illegitimate payments. So how does Biyo ensure that its payment system remains secure and unsusceptible to hacking?

SECURITY TESTING IS DEFINITELY HIGH ON THE AGENDA FOR US. THERE IS VIGOROUS TESTING GOING ON WITH BIYO. IT’S CONSTANT, NON-STOP

“Security testing is definitely high on the agenda for us,” said Matt Saricicek, CTO and co-founder of Biyo.

“There is vigorous testing going on with Biyo. It’s constant, non-stop. We conduct package sniffing where we trace our own package and use tools, which are available to the general public and could be used to try and intrude our system – such as Wireshark that can sniff the traffic leaving an organisation, for example.

“We also conduct DoS testing, where we hire people to try and hack into our system to find the openings that could lead to a potential problem, and we close these up.

“All our connections are SSL-secured so we use a secure protocol and lots more. Everything we have is pretty much encrypted. Our card swipers are encrypted from the point someone swipes their card, preventing anyone from trying to keylog the system – keylogging captures every stoke that was inputted into the system.

“We also do not store any of the credit cards, we have a partner bank that helps us do that. We also do not keep any crucial data, which helps us protect ourselves and conduct testing accordingly. Because we have partners who focus on PCI compliance, we can purely focus on the security of Biyo, making sure everything is safe."

USER TESTING

people would get around the system and find a loophole.

“We also installed a radio jammer because if you can jam the Wi-Fi you can actually kill off any connection to the Internet, again ensuring the highest form of security – these are the type of things we are currently still working on.

“There is nobody out there doing what we are doing at the moment, so we just need to make sure it’s a secure system, and ensure that when users enter their hand, they do not access any other data.

We are just on the tip of the iceberg and we have so much more work to do, testing wise. We were supposed to launch last year, but took a step back so that we can ensure we are ready to launch later this year.

“The other types of testing involve the typical QA testing to see how Biyo reacts towards stress and high traffic volume. Even though we may not have a lot of traffic right now, this will increase so we need to ensure our systems can handle this. We have bot scripts, which pretty much overload our servers so we can see how our servers react and we can foresee any future issues.

“Other companies who create POS systems may place more importance on bugs, but that is a given for us.

We won’t release anything that is buggy. Our main concern is security. And this is the major part we are testing constantly.”

THE FUTURE OF SOFTWARE TESTING Biyo is the perfect example of how fast technology is advancing, but, in light of this, is the software testing industry well equipped and able to sufficiently support new technologies?

There is no other technology out there like Biyo and therefore no “benchmark” standard, as such.

Therefore, how does Biyo test its software to ensure it will be user-friendly, function correctly and maintain customer expectations?

“Right now, yes,” replied Matt. “But if you asked me this question two years ago, I would say no. It’s crazy where technology is right now, there is nothing you cannot do as long as you have the dedication, and there is such a great community on the Internet that can help.

“One of the most common questions we get is ‘so how do you test the hand payment?’” said Matt. “We can generate fake digital patterns so that the machine thinks it’s a palm vein. We then would test against it to see if it recognises the difference between my hand and a fake hand, for example.

“There are so many free, open source tools available and online tutorials from YouTube, for example, for the inexperienced. It’s so simple. That’s how I started when I was younger; I downloaded open source tools, modified them and got a stronger grasp as I got older.

“We do what everyone else does in regards to testing, but with more vigilance in light of all the hacking and intrusion news. Intrusions happen so we need to be careful. We recognise the importance of testing every aspect of Biyo, so, as far as our main testing goals go, we have to ensure we look at all the ways attackers may think to help us ensure we are secure.

“Other testing includes basic user experience testing, so if I’m a user, what will I do? Etc, and one of the most important testing processes we do is social engineering testing – where a lot hacks and intrusions can arise as a result of flaws in testing. We sit down and figure how

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

In regards to the future of software testing, Matt believes it will be automated. He said, “I think the software testing industry will become more automated in the next five to 10 years, and it will soon become the norm for software to automatically detect intrusions.

“Technology is advancing at such a level and so much information is out there. If I don’t do my research for one day, I feel behind – that’s how fast technology moves.

Software and technology is definitely the future and that’s where everyone is investing. It’s exciting to think what technology and software will be available over the next decade... watch this space!”

PAGE 19

MOBILE TESTING MARTIN WRIGLEY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APP QUALITY ALLIANCE

THE TOP 10 REASONS WHY APPS FAIL TESTING Martin Wrigley, executive director at App Quality Alliance, addresses the top 10 reasons why mobile apps fail testing…

As the app stores become more crowded than ever, making money from apps is increasingly difficult for developers. In fact, analyst house, Gartner is predicting that through to 2018, less than 0.01% of consumer mobile apps will be considered a financial success by their developers.

Consumers are spending mere seconds deciding on which app to download, and reviews are make or break.

To understand the role of good QA in removing barriers to success for developers, here are the top 10 reasons why apps fail testing and recommendations on how to avoid them.

The findings are compiled from App Quality Alliance (AQuA) members’ experience and the results of testing thousands of apps. The company addresses the top QA errors that developers make, which are hurting them in reviews, downloads and ultimately their wallets. From user interface (UI) inconsistency to crashes and privacy issues, all of these issues can be fixed by following a simple QA process, says Martin:

1. USER INTERFACE INCONSISTENCY Make sure menu options, button labels, “soft keys”, menus, etc, are consistent and clear. For many people this can just be viewed as simply an irritation, but it can also be confusing to the non-tech savvy user and impact the user experience, leading to negative app reviews.

2. LACK OF CLARITY OF GRAPHICS AND TEXT Ensure that all the text is readable, clear and not cut off by the edge of the screen or overlapping other screen items.

3. APP BROWSING CONFUSION Although the navigation through the app is obvious, if you’ve been working on it for weeks or months, and are a frequent user of apps, not everyone else may find it so clear. As apps have moved further into the mainstream, consumers with very little technological understanding are using them and even the smallest navigation challenges can drive them away.

4. LANGUAGE INCONSISTENCY AND SPELLING ERRORS If you support multiple languages, make sure that it is consistent and you don’t have the odd label written in English hidden away… and use a spell checker!

5. PRIVACY POLICY OMISSION Privacy and use of data is a hot topic for consumers, and while they may not understand the complexities behind it,

PAGE 20

YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW MANY APPS CRASH WHEN EVEN SIMPLE THINGS HAPPEN ON THE DEVICE

they want to be assured that their privacy is taken seriously. Apps that don’t take heed of this face major backlash, and we’ve seen this with even the most high profile developers. Always have a clear privacy policy in the app that lets users know what their data is being used for and how they are being protected.

6. HIDDEN FEATURES Doing stuff behind the scenes without letting the user know will never win you any favours, even if your intentions are good. The app stores are fast to crack down on any apps that are doing this, publicly shaming them no matter if there was no malice intended.

7. APP CRASHING You would be surprised how many apps crash when even simple things happen on the device. Memory cards, attachments and keyboards are common causes.

Smartphones do more for their users than ever before so apps need to function in an environment where many other apps and device features are running at the same time, often over long periods.

8. HELP IS NOT THERE While it is obvious to some, other people like to read “help” information, so providing help, which is easy to find, is a must.

9. NETWORK CONNECTION: LACK OF NOTIFICATION Again, many people don’t test the phone dropping out of network coverage. If you miss it and the app dies when the connection drops, the user ends up re-booting their device. With new networks and more handovers between technologies, this continues to be a hot topic.

10. SCREEN ORIENTATION DISTORTION Surely everyone checks this one? No, sadly not. Distorted images when changing from portrait to landscape and vice-versa still manages to hit our top 10 simple errors that let apps down.

While many of these issues seem obvious, these failures are widespread; problematic for the developer as well as the user; and can impact the long-term success of an app. The good news for developers is that avoiding these common errors doesn’t have to be slow or costly, just a few effective practises will give a far higher chance of creating successful and financially viable apps.

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

Software

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MOBILE TESTING

BATTERY LIFE: FROM 100% TO 0% IN 60 MINUTES Dave Crossley, business development director at Spirent Communications, explains why battery life is becoming critical in the smartphone market…

I

heard someone describing a potentially lifesaving app. When he walked in the mountains his smartphone recorded his path on a map, as well as delivering data on speed, time, etc.

If he should get lost, or if fog came down, the detailed map data could lead him back to safety along the exact route he had taken.

There was only one problem: the app and all the other services he was using on his phone used so much power that the battery life was barely enough for a half day’s outing. Of course, the longer the hike, the more critical the app’s memory becomes, and the more one might also need to have standby power to make emergency calls. So, as a gimmick the app was brilliant, but as a lifesaver it was almost useless.

This is an extreme example of a problem we all have with today’s smartphones. Current TV advertising majors on their high-end features – trendy young people shooting and editing video footage of their lives on ever higher definition screens – but not so much on the mobile workers’ everyday search for a plug-compatible and accessible power socket for the charger.

A recent report from research firm, Yankee Group correlated features against battery life for some 850 smartphones introduced between 2009 and 2013. Its author, Carl Howe, VP Yankee Group, commented, “Many consumers and smartphone salespeople obsess about the size of smartphone screens, the speed of their processors, and the technology behind their radios. But, hidden behind all those smartphone features is a technology almost no one understands, yet without which we would not have any mobile communication: the battery.”

THE MOBILE PHONE BATTERY

could always have a reserve, and we still use two sets of figures that everyone needs to consider when choosing a phone: “standby time” and “talk time”. The actual numbers for these are now pretty impressive, thanks to great improvements in battery technology, but they bear little relation to the way most smartphones are now used. With up to five radios on board, supporting features like WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, as well as voice calls, today’s smartphones can really burn it up – and GPS is especially power hungry as that mountain walker discovered.

The move to a bigger screen at least suggests more room for bigger batteries, but the trend goes along with a thinner profile, so that’s no real solution. Anyway, bigger batteries cost more and release more heat. We can also wait for further developments in battery technology – there’s a lot happening in the labs, but that’s a long way from delivering economical mass-market solutions – so the more immediate answer must be to improve power efficiency.

Improving efficiency involves both hardware and software development. On the one hand, dedicated and very frugal silicon chips for voice recognition as in the Moto X and, on the other hand, smarter software such as Qualcomm’s Network Socket Request Manager, which reduces

BATTERY LIFE IS EMERGING AS ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF SUBSCRIBER DISSATISFACTION WITH THE NEW 4G DEVICES, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE FINDING INCREASING DEMAND FOR THIS SORT OF TESTING

It has always been an issue. I recall the early mobile phones that came with a second battery, with standalone charger, so you

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APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

MOBILE TESTING

smart phone signalling traffic by bundling application requests and intelligently delaying them, can both deliver better user experience while reducing total power consumption. Apple is also doing very well with this approach, with a claimed 45% improvement in the iPhone 5’s battery life, and other companies are intent on following their example, but it’s also up to the app developers to play their part.

THE USER EXPERIENCE

BATTERY LIFE TESTING Some companies, who specialise in test and service management solutions, use a database of different services and applications with statistics about their frequency and duration of use, both individually and in terms of typical user profiles: e.g. a teenage text-addict has a usage pattern very different from that of a mobile business executive, or a mother keeping in touch with children and friends. This means that companies can run accurate tests on individual applications and scenarios in the lab, but also mimic realistic real-world usage conditions – including a mix of video, web browsing, SMS, voice, data and push mail applications – to generate an accurate measure of actual performance in a user’s hand.

At first pass, an OTT app developer needn’t care about battery drain – it’s a mobile operator and device vendor issue. But when a highly popular app like Skype begins to get a reputation for draining power – at least according to Ovum Telco strategy analyst, Jeremy Green – then users will spend more time logged off and usage Who uses this service? Typically mobile operators, begins to slip away. Of course, Skype was or MNOs, wanting to test a large number of originally designed for the desktop platform HIDDEN devices in parallel to make “Fit4Launch where power was no matter, but things decisions” – in other words to find out BEHIND ALL are changing. We recently ran tests on which devices they want to promote on THOSE SMARTPHONE the latest VoLTE smartphones and found their networks and sell in their stores.

FEATURES IS A Skype calls now use about a third less On the other hand, device TECHNOLOGY ALMOST power thanks to improvements in these manufacturers want to know how well second generation LTE phones.

NO ONE UNDERSTANDS, their devices are operating; how they YET WITHOUT WHICH So there is an incentive for the app match up against competition; and WE WOULD NOT developers: at first sight you are selling whether they need to be made more on the strength of your features and user HAVE ANY MOBILE efficient to compete. experience, but if your app becomes a COMMUNICATION: As demand for battery life testing grows, standard, then word will get around if the THE BATTERY user experience does not take battery life the industry also sees a need for a mobile into account. Indeed, battery life is emerging test solution incorporating all these features. as one of the principal causes of subscriber It should include automated software testing, dissatisfaction with the new 4G devices, which is why we offering a choice of typical user profiles to simulate actual are finding increasing demand for this sort of testing. everyday usage – together with the ability to tailor those profiles to meet specific variations.

Battery life depends on two factors: battery capacity and the device’s average current drain. The current It should be supported by a cloud infrastructure that drain varies as a function of the type of services being provides a typical range of video, voice and SMS/data used and this is highly variable. So testing a smartphone’s traffic to provide content for any chosen customer usage battery life needs not only a hardware component to profile further de-skilling and accelerating testing effort. measure on-going current drain, but more importantly the All this is already available, with a hardware component means to generate realistic consumer traffic patterns on to measure current, and a customisable reporting the device. function to deliver results in the most useful format.

In the past, an engineer would achieve this with a Watch this space and expect to see a lot more reports multi-meter and a good bit of guesswork about typical being published in the next year or so, detailing the usage patterns. However, today’s solutions use software real battery life of our smartphones under realistic and to automate this process based on test case libraries demanding operating conditions. exercising different components and applications on Maybe mountain rescue services will be put out the device, and providing a consistent repeatable of business? methodology. Secondly you need an interface to output usable reports on consumption and performance.

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

PAGE 23

MOBILE TESTING VIJAY BALASUBRAMANIAM GLOBAL HEAD OF TESTING PRACTICE ITC INFOTECH

HARDEEP GAREWAL PRESIDENT, EMEA OPERATIONS ITC INFOTECH

THE TESTING CHALLENGE OF THE MOBILE APP-DRIVEN WORLD The explosion in numbers of mobile apps has profoundly altered the testing landscape forever. Vijay Balasubramaniam, global head of testing practice and Hardeep Singh Garewal President, Europe, at ITC Infotech, discuss exactly how the testing world is responding to the rise of the mobile app…

TYPICAL TESTS LIKE LOAD AND PERFORMANCE TESTS ARE JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR MOBILE APPS, AND THIS SITUATION IS COMPOUNDED

BY THE FACT THAT DIFFERENT TESTING APPROACHES ARE REQUIRED FOR TESTING NATIVE, WEB AND HYBRID MOBILE APPS TOO

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APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

MOBILE TESTING

T

he rise of mobile computing has been truly meteoric since Apple’s first iPhone was launched in 2007. Having overcome the initial scepticism, the model for app development has been adopted by the organisations that followed in Apple’s wake and there are now a plethora of platforms, and operating systems in the market, which have broadened significantly.

investment has to be made in mobile app feasible tools, which may be complex in scripting. Furthermore, organisations have often found it tricky recruiting testers with the right skills; they need skilled staff who are able to work in an end-to-end mobile app testing environment, including automation.

Expanding from the initial smartphone and “iPod” devices, the sector now includes a wider realm of tablet devices like the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and even into hybrid laptop/tablet combinations like Microsoft’s Surface. Now, according to Gartner, mobile application development and testing is slated to outgrow PC/Mac related development by a factor of four by 2015.

The number of specialist tools and techniques required for mobile testing has also increased. Simulators and emulators are essential for early development testing, while cloud-based solutions for device and platform compatibility testing are often required. In addition of course, the software has to be tested on an actual physical device for 100% coverage and a realistic view of performance.

This opening up of the market has brought with it complexity. Gone are the days when a mobile developer would produce an app for just one platform, device, browser or carrier. We are now entering the age of the ‘Internet of Things’, and with so many products and services now communicating with mobile devices, consumers are more demanding than ever to access available apps on other devices.

THE ROLE OF MOBILE APP TESTERS The explosion in the market has also had a profound effect on the role of mobile app testers, who are now required to test not just the functionality of the app, but a wide range of other areas as well. This includes its compatibility on the myriad platforms and devices; testing the effect of the app on the device resources; the usability of the app and the user experience through crowd-sourcing; automating the regression test execution through continuous integration; and much else besides.

Typical tests like load and performance tests are just not good enough for mobile apps, and this situation is compounded by the fact that different testing approaches are required for testing native, web and hybrid mobile apps too.

This new paradigm has revolutionised the way in which the testing of mobile apps is approached. Testers demand more out of the tools they use and the industry has to consistently better itself in order to meet this demand. In particular, the ongoing expansion of the mobile development market has provided a number of challenges for “offshore” testing organisations.

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

Beyond this, crowd-sourcing tools provide the next level, along with WAN emulations for simulation testing on different networks and in different network conditions. In fact, approaches like crowd-testing can play a significant role. Crowd-sourcing tools for usability, user experience and device compatibility testing are a key part of the mobile testing picture, and they give an end-user perspective of testing that is essential.

There are currently tens of thousands of mobile applications available on Google Play Store, Apple’s App Store and the Windows and Blackberry outlets for their devices. Apple and Google have witnessed an especially huge rise in the revenues from their application store channels, with an estimated $10 billion being spent in the Apple App Store last year alone.

It seems clear that the future of computing will be focused on mobile technologies, and with the advancement of smartphones and wearable devices, and the rise of BYOD/CYOD mobile technology has become an even greater part of every day life.

Indeed, it has already become the norm for people to use their mobile devices for retail, banking, paying utility, booking movie tickets, and much more. We can also conclude that mobile computing is transforming the day-to-day business landscape, bringing a much greater level of freedom and mobility to workers. With technology advancing at such a rapid pace and the mobile operating systems and applications constantly updating, testing organisations need to be constantly vigilant if they are to keep up.

OFFSHORE TESTING ORGANISATIONS Offshore testing organisations have had to invest large sums setting up mobility testing labs to contend with the range of devices and platforms available, and compatibility testing for the sheer range of devices and platforms available is an issue that has to be addressed.

The testing team has to be able to guarantee that an app has performed correctly on all devices – even those in the same product family as, for example, an app tested on Samsung S3 may not work as expected on a Note 3.

In addition, it’s important to note that testing tools, which work well in a web or desktop interface environment, may not work on mobile apps for automation, hence separate

APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

The new paradigm has revolutionised how mobile apps are tested

PAGE 25

LAST WORD DAVE WHALEN PRESIDENT AND SENIOR SOFTWARE ENTOMOLOGIST WHALEN TECHNOLOGIES HTTP://SOFTWAREENTOMOLOGIST.WORDPRESS.COM

MY HEAD HURTS

By Dave Whalen

I

love my mobile devices. So when I was asked to test a new mobile application as my latest gig, I was thrilled. However this enthusiasm quickly began to disappear.

Once upon a time, if you would have asked me, I’d tell you that software testing is software testing. While the platform may change, websites were pretty much the same, and applications are the same. There were differences with navigation on a PC vs. a Mac, but not insurmountable. Once I learned a few tricks, test automation was a snap. Mobile devices should be pretty similar right? Guess again!

The Apple line of products were relatively easy. They have a few products and they look and operate the same way.

Most importantly, the operating system is pretty much locked down. All devices run the same operating system and they tell you when to update. No custom code for various vendors. There is one operating system for all of them. So functionally they are the same; there are a few different sizes but nothing that some usability testing can’t cover. We started there and pretty smooth sailing really.

Apple does have some complications when it comes to provisioning test devices but again, workable solutions.

Then we began looking at Android devices and the fun ended… quickly!

KEEP UP… IF YOU CAN Although Google develops the core Android operating system, it caused me to lose what precious little hair I have left: Firstly, each device vendor can choose which version of the operating system is on each device. There are probably about 10 of them – all active and any of them may be installed on any variety of phone model. There are a multitude of Android phones, running a multitude of versions of the core operation system. The combinations and permutations are enormous. Beginning to see the problem? I’m not done.

ONCE I LEARNED A FEW TRICKS, TEST AUTOMATION WAS A SNAP. MOBILE DEVICES SHOULD BE PRETTY SIMILAR RIGHT? GUESS AGAIN! getting astronomical and growing more complex with each new software update or new phone model.

How can I make sure my application will work on all of them? Obviously, I can’t! So what to do?

A SOLUTION? We have looked at a number of options. First, try and cover the majority of the Android market. What are the most popular models? We found that five models covered about 90% of the market.

Next, we looked at operating systems. We narrowed it down to three. We also found that three device vendors dominated the market so we chose their operating system customisations. Lastly, we looked at the most popular devices. It was mostly phones, but we added an Android tablet to be safe. Have we covered everything?

No! I’m sure there is someone out there with a rare phone, on an antiquated operating system, and a tiny little screen who won’t be able to run our application. My advice to them, “Buy a new phone, cheapskate!”

Lastly, every model of Android phone has different size screens, and different screen resolutions. So the display of a single icon or page can vary drastically. My poor head.

My test lab consists of three Apple devices: I have an iPod Touch, an iPad Air, and an iPad2. I have ordered eight different Android devices of varying sizes, from various vendors. Luckily we have picked a test automation tool that plays well with all of them. I have one set of tests that run on all devices and a couple of custom ones to test some unique vendor customisations. We have also told our customer that we support a small set of devices and that the application may not run on unsupported ones.

The strategy is working well so far.

If you’re keeping up, we have multiple versions of the core operating system, each with customisations by different vendors, on different model phones, with different screen sizes and different screen resolutions. The permutations are

So I may have had a throbbing headache, but it’s pretty much gone now. It returns from time to time when I hear about the release of new devices. On the plus side, I have a bunch of really cool toys to play with!

Next, each device vendor can modify or customise the operating system as suitable to their needs – and they do.

The same version of the core Android operating system is customised by each vendor and operates differently from phone to phone and vendor to vendor. "But Dave", you say, "surely this is it?" Keep dreaming.

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APRIL 2014 | www.testmagazine.co.uk

2014

National Software Testing Conference

Breaking today’s boundaries to shape tomorrow

20-2 1 May, The British Museum, London

Programme Headline Sponsor Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Supporters MAGAZINE

Event Partners

Exhibitors

Colours : L&T Yellow Pantone 1235C L&T Black Pantone Process Black C

www.neotys.com

BREAKING TODAY’S BOUNDARIES TO SHAPE TOMORROW Welcome to the first ever National Software Testing Conference.

We decided to launch this Conference to further quench the demand for information amongst the software testing community, and to help move the market forward.

Working closely with the profession, with the launch of The European Software Testing Awards (TESTA) in 2013, and now the launch of The National Software Testing Conference – both supported by Test Magazine – we know only too well the commitment of the individuals, organisations and groups that operate within the software testing industry.

With a strapline of “Breaking today’s boundaries to shape tomorrow”, the National Software Testing Conference aims to excel the software testing community and help you breakthrough the various challenges faced to aid future success.

We have an exciting and extremely valuable two-day programme lined up, which will cover the core areas of software testing, including strategy, management, process and tools. Delegates will benefit from up-todate and cutting-edge content, and receive pragmatic advice to current issues that will allow professionals to head back to the office and implement change with immediate effect.

In addition, there will also be a series of interactive

Executive Debates, which welcome delegates to discuss, debate, and resolve some of the key issues facing the industry.

Furthermore, a number of presenters will join together on a Q&A panel before the close of Day One. This promises to be an enthralling, stimulating, as well as lively, part of the day where delegates can put questions to the panel, regarding their individual presentations, or general questions about problems or issues faced in the software testing industry and how to overcome them.

We are very excited to bring you a variety of speakers, which includes many from very well-known companies, as well as testing professionals who have fought their way to the top and have been recognised at TESTA as a result.

Please take a look at the full Conference programme, and speaker and company profiles over the next few pages for more information.

I hope you find this Conference extremely valuable and highly useful, not to mention a great networking opportunity!

Enjoy!

Sophie-Marie Odum Editor

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

PAGE 29

National Software Testing Conference 2014 Conference Theme: Cross-Industry Testing Programme - 20th May

TIME

BP LECTURE THEATRE STRATEGY & MANAGEMENT

EXECUTIVE DEBATES

PROCESS & TOOLS RAYMOND SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

BEVERLY SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

SESSION A

SESSION B

Registration

08.00 - 08.55

Welcome from Sophie-Marie Odum, Editor of TEST Magazine

9am

Keynote: Chris Livesey, Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Borland, The software supply chain

09.05 - 9:45

9.50 - 10.30

HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

Joanne Hopkins, Systems Manager, Waitrose

Chris Ambler, Director of QA, TCSJohnHuxley

Teamwork: Working together to ensure the best results

Put everything on 13 Black and see what happens: Testing in the casino world Coffee break (40 minutes)

Tricentis

Henri Grönblom, Lead Consultant, Knowit

11.15 - 11.55

Experiences on how to change testing culture in an organisation Paul Gerrard, TESTA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

12.00 - 12.40

The redistribution of testing – Shift Left

Samir Sinha, Head of Test Solutioning and Guy Peyton, Europe GEO Test Engagements, Tech Mahindra

SESSION A

SESSION B

Sogeti UK Daryl Searle, Delivery Director, Agile maturity

Borland Archie Roboostoff, Borland Portfolio Director The Mess of Many, the Simplicity of One

Quality: The Wider Picture: Economics & Business Assurance Lunch (1 hour 20 minutes) Keynote: Rod Armstrong, Senior Director QA, Expedia: Keep sharpening your saw

14.05 - 14.45

Chris Comey, TESTA Test Manager of the Year 14:50 - 15.30

The importance of being requirements-led Karen Thomas, Senior Practice Manager, Barclaycard

15:35 - 16.15

What is a Community of Practice?

Archie Roboostoff, Borland Portfolio Director Leverage The Power Of The Cloud to perform realistic testing Lisa Donovan, Programme and Quality Assurance Manager, and Brindusa Axon, Agile Consultant

SESSION A

SESSION B

Tricentis

Maveric Systems Srivatsan T. T, Vice President - Solutions Group, Financial Services QTE versus QCT. Setting the new CIO agenda

Tester in a brave new world 16.15 - 16.30

Break (15 minutes)

16.35 - 17.20

Keynotes Q&A Panel Closing remarks

Programme is subject to change.

Please note: All keynote presentations will take place in the BP Lecture Theatre

PAGE 30

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

National Software Testing Conference 2014 Conference Theme: Cross-Industry Testing Programme - 21st May

TIME

BP LECTURE THEATRE STRATEGY & MANAGEMENT

EXECUTIVE DEBATES

PROCESS & TOOLS RAYMOND SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

BEVERLY SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

SESSION A

SESSION B

Welcome from Sophie-Marie Odum, Editor of TEST Magazine

9am

Keynote: Ghulam Khan, Head of QA & Localisation, SEGA: The challenges faced in testing interactive entertainment applications

09.05 - 9:45

Archie Roboostoff, Borland Portfolio Director 9.50 - 10.30

HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

Less Hardware, More Testing

TESTA WINNERS: Kerstin Klein, Manager, Engineering Processes/Infrastructure, Jaspersoft From requirement to release QA centric development Coffee break (25 minutes)

10:55 - 11.35

11:40 - 12:20

Peter Francome, Head of Test and Quality, Virgin Media Moving to a managed test service Kalyana Rao Konda (Kalyan), Senior Vice President of Global Delivery, Cigniti Technologies IP led testing services - The future of software testing

TESTA WINNERS: Chris Gollop and Beyza Sakir, Test Analysts, LMAX Exchange

SESSION A

SESSION B

Tricentis

Borland

Paul Twidell and Bethan Lindly, Test Leads, Microsoft

Archie Roboostoff, Borland Portfolio Director

How is testing an application on a mobile device different from testing web and desktop applications?

The Mess of Many, the Simplicity of One

Testing within an agile environment

Lunch (1 hour 20 minutes) Keynote: Shane Kelly, Head of QA and Test for one of the largest bookmakers in the UK, The changing face of the “test” role

13.45 - 14:25

Break (15 minutes) 14:45 - 15:25

Keynote: Stuart Feasey, Presales support for test automation and service virtualization, IBM, A high-level overview of the Rational Integration testing capability formally Green Hat Forrester Report Closing remarks

Programme is subject to change.

Please note: All keynote presentations will take place in the BP Lecture Theatre

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

PAGE 31

National Software Testing Conference 2014 Speakers Archie Roboostoff Borland portfolio director With more than 18 years of experience in the enterprise software industry, Archie is currently the Borland Solutions portfolio director, responsible for the direction and strategy of testing and quality products within Micro Focus.

Previously, Archie was responsible for the terminal emulation products at Micro Focus. Before being acquired by Micro Focus, Archie was responsible for product management at NetManage, Inc. He has held various development, management and engineering positions at EDS, e1525, Maxtor, Komag, and AvantCom Network.

Archie will be speaking about...

The mess of many, the simplicity of one - EXECUTIVE DEBATE Never before has technology diversity been so great and readily available. With a very small team with very little resources, even the smallest organisation can look and act like the biggest. While this makes it easier to execute and compete, it creates chaos when it comes to application quality.

even more endless choice in browsers, mobile devices, and platforms. This puts the burden back on the QA teams to test. Archie will introduce the concept of cross browser testing where customers can, with a very small team, test their applications on a wide variety of desktop and mobile browsers using only one script that adapts itself across all browser types.

Just as developers and organisations have endless choice of technologies to use, end-users and consumers have an DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 11.15 - 12.40 ROOM: BEVERLY SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 10.55 - 12.20 ROOM: BEVERLY SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

Less hardware, more testing Technology changes and advancements in mobile and browser technologies has created a number of issues in the software quality market. From a functional testing perspective, it’s created a paradigm where QA teams must now test a single application on thousands of possible hardware/platform combinations.

to the fastest (direct fibre), which wreaks havoc on hardware infrastructures. To solve these two challenges, 10 years ago the answer would’ve been to “buy more hardware.” Ironically, today’s answer is to buy less. Archie will introduce two cloudbased solutions, and will demonstrate how to simulate different mobile network traffic to get a better understanding on how mobile impacts the infrastructure.

From a performance and load testing perspective, it’s created increased traffic patterns that vary from the slowest (GPRS) DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 9:50 - 10.30 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

Chris Ambler director of QA, TCSJohnHuxley With a degree in computer science and a Fellow of the British Computer Society, Chris Ambler is a senior testing professional with over 30 years' experience in the IT industry.

Chris is the director of quality assurance for TCSJohnHuxley, the leading global innovator of live gaming solutions and services. He has led testing teams in a multitude of different industries, and has developed a world class QA testing facility across Europe for both Electronic Arts and Microsoft, along with defining the strategy and delivery methodologies for a number of high-value organisations.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 9:50 - 10.30 ROOM: HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

Chris will be speaking about...

Put everything on 13 Black and see what happens: Testing in the casino world Casinos today now incorporate a whole host of products that incorporate state-of-the-art technology. Even traditional products such as Roulette Wheels, winning number displays and chip sorting machines have the ability to analyse results and provide detailed data. Therefore, the need for these products to be fully tested is very important.

This presentation will discuss the testing challenges and solutions for ensuring that these requirements are met both from a product design and development perspective and a process improvement perspective. This includes building the teams, building the infrastructure and defining the processes from specification through to delivery, covering everything in between, culminating in new products and services to make casinos more effective and more efficient.

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

PAGE 33

Winner: Test Manager of the Year Chris Comey

Chris will be speaking about...

principal consultant, Testing Solutions Group

The importance of being requirements-led

Chris has been a principal consultant at Testing Solutions Group for over 11 years and has been testing in one form or another since 1981. Initially from a telecommunications background, he has tested computer systems and developments for a number of industries including telecommunications, utilities, financial/banking/settlements, gaming and a wide variety of websites. He is currently working as a senior test manager in the legal sector, leading a team of 18 testers.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 14:50 - 15:30 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

Many factors influence the “requirement for requirements” debate with views of the type, level and method of capture for requirements differing vastly and dependent on the delivery model and development lifecycle. Requirements range from detailed documentation at one end of the spectrum, through to “access to subject matter experts (SMEs)” at the other end. Agile promotes “user stories”, and new techniques of capturing the “business need” are emerging all the time.

Regardless of the level of documentation and the method of capture, there are a few fundamentals that should be understood and agreed from the outset. Chris will look at the vagaries of the written word (with some humorous examples); discuss what makes a good requirement and the appropriate level of detail for a good requirement; and why all projects should be requirements led.

Chris Gollop

Beyza Sakir

test analyst, LMAX Exchange

test analyst, LMAX Exchange

Chris Gollop is a test analyst at LMAX Exchange. He has 10 years’ experience in the testing industry and has found the most satisfying and challenging work within the agile environment; its ethos of continual improvement has allowed him to introduce exploratory testing and rip-up many point and click test scripts.

Beyza Sakir is a test analyst at LMAX Exchange. She is a selfmotivated, senior software tester with over 10 years of testing experience spread across the web, mobile and API. Beyza has become a big advocate of test driven development, continuous delivery and agile during her five years at LMAX Exchange.

Chris and Beyza will be speaking about... Testing within an agile environment Rather than focusing on transitioning to agile, this talk looks at how agile really works at a company that has used it from the beginning. With over 8,000 acceptance tests, LMAX Exchange has always been test driven, but the agile process used today is different to that used initially as we adapt and try out new ideas and methodologies to keep a sustainable pace of development.

Chris and Beyza will take you through an overview of how they test, with examples of adaptation, and then look briefly at ideas they are currently trying.

DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 10:55 - 11:35 ROOM: HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

Chris Livesey Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Borland Chris has over 20 years’ experience in the software industry. He worked for many years as a developer, test manager and project manager, working with enduser clients in various industries.

This has been followed by a successful career with several software companies; in technical and sales roles, and more recently in executive management and leadership.

His key strengths include software development and test processes; programme management and governance; and change management for organisational, functional and operational improvement.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 9:05 - 9:45 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

PAGE 34

Chris will be speaking about...

The software supply chain Chris will introduce the idea of the SDLC being a “software supply chain” across multiple stakeholders, which is challenged by complexity, a high rate of change and massively varied technologies. Like any supply chain, there are many contributors throughout the product lifecycle, and Chris will identify the key trends and issues relating to the software development and test industry.

The materials presented are based on extended survey research of 600 CIOs in late 2013. Despite much innovation and invention in process, tools and collaboration, the research clearly shows that those who have searched for improvements through working in partnership with specialist third parties still have many issues to deal with.

There is a need for more precision, validation and control when outsourcing development or test projects.

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

Daryl Searle delivery director and agile SME, Sogeti UK Daryl is a delivery directory and agile subject matter expert for Sogeti UK. He has over 15 years of commercial experience in testing, including test management, process improvement, offshore management and quality assurance, across a number of sectors.

Most recently he has been using his invaluable testing and delivery experience to support Sogeti clients with their challenges in agile maturity, helping them to improve the rollout of their agile initiatives.

Ghulam Khan Head of QA & Localisation, SEGA An established games QA professional with over 15 years' experience in the games industry, Ghulam has worked in some of the biggest names in the field, including Codemasters, Eidos, Take2 and now at SEGA as Head of QA & Localisation - responsible for all QA throughput outside of Japan.

He has led teams both small and large; from a handful of testers to departments comprising 250+ staff, involving all facets of games testing – functionality, localisation, compatibility, compliance – and managing combined inhouse, embedded and outsourced/ offsite testing models.

DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 9:05 - 9:45 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

Daryl will be speaking about...

Agile maturity - EXECUTIVE DEBATE During this lively one hour session, Daryl will explore how factors such as: the drivers behind agile adoption, the flavour of agile used, current agile approaches and engagement can hinder or enable the maturity of your agile environment.

He will also cover the importance of culture and collaboration in adoption, and how benchmarking can increase agile maturity.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 11:15 - 12:40 ROOM: RAYMOND SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

Ghulam will be speaking about...

The challenges faced in testing interactive entertainment applications Games have come a long way from coders in bedrooms testing their own products and releasing on the most popular platform of the time. Fast forward and games are now a multi-billion pound business, bigger even than the film industry, with budgets to match. The sophistication required to create games in the modern era has grown exponentially, as has their size and scope. It follows that the requirements to test these ever-increasingly complex pieces of software has grown exponentially too, alongside the expectations of the consumer for “quality" content, enjoyability and functionality.

The proliferation of platforms to play on, both divergent and convergent at the same time; the rapidly changing and advancing pace of technology driving new avenues of gaming; the individuality of each game; new publishing and business models such as Games as a Service – all of these add to the fascinating challenges provided in testing games. How can we still maintain efficient and effective testing in a timely manner?

How can we control spiralling QA costs? And what place does introducing automated testing have in this brave new world?

Winners: Best Overall Project Guy Peyton

Samir Sinha

Europe GEO Test Engagements, Tech Mahindra

Head of Test Solutioning, Tech Mahindra

Guy has over 15 years’ experience in IT industry (mainly Telecoms) and has an extensive background in project and programme control and specialises in customer relationship and engagement management, as well as transformation and innovation planning and control.

Samir has over 15 years’ experience in IT industry and has an extensive background in leading test solutions, and working as a test practice head, as well as specialising in end-to-end transformation programmes.

They will be speaking about... Quality: The Wider Picture: Economics & Business Assurance Today, testing and quality assurance is undergoing a paradigm shift. Traditional functional assurance is taking a lesser profile (being pushed back into engineering) and begin replaced by customer experience, business and revenue assurance. What does this mean in terms of focus, dimensions and the models and practices of providing best of breed quality assurance solutions, in an ever more efficient and economical manner?

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 12:00 - 12:40 ROOM: HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

PAGE 35

Winners: Best Overall Project - Public Sector Henri Grönblom lead consulant, Knowit Henri Grönblom has been working in software testing and requirements management since 1999 and is currently working as lead consultant at Knowit; a company specialising in testing and software development consultancy. Henri leads one of the testing consultant teams, and consults and trains customers frequently.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 11:15 - 11:55 ROOM: HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

Joanne Hopkins systems manager, Waitrose Joanne has many years experience in the management of people and in the field of software testing. After finishing a successful military career, Joanne turned her skills to the world of testing and, for the last few years, has been pivotal in the establishment of a recognised testing profession within the systems directorate for Waitrose, the grocery arm of the John Lewis Partnership.

Having had over 30 years experience of managing varied and different sized teams, Joanne recognises that it is always the people that matter to a successful delivery; whether it is ensuring a torpedo hits the correct target or a customer has the right groceries delivered.

Henri will be speaking about...

Experiences on how to change testing culture in an organisation What should you do when your organisation’s system development environment and goals for quality assurance change radically? How can you change your organisation’s processes and methodologies totally without paralysing your business? How can you improve your culture in testing and make the results of improvement visible?

In this presentation, Henri will share how Knowit changed the way a customer conducted system development and testing; and how Knowit managed to keep the operation aligned with the organisation’s strategic targets, and change the system development projects to use agile methodology.

Joanne will be speaking about...

Teamwork: Working together to ensure the best results Joanne will be focusing on the softer skills of a tester and how test teams have to work together to deliver. She will also discuss the importance of being in a successful team rather than being a successful tester in a team. Joanne will also answer, “What does a tester ‘look’ like today?” and “What are the range of skill sets required to be successful in the Waitrose team?”

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 9:50 - 10:30 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

Kalyana Rao Konda (Kalyan) Senior Vice President of Global Delivery, Cigniti Technologies Kalyan leads and guides all Cigniti’s delivery teams to consistently exceed customer expectations through technically superior software testing services. He brings more than 15 years of software

industry experience, having worked, tested, managed, lead, architected, delivered best of the breed testing services and solutions to global enterprises and independent software vendors across the verticals.

Kalyan will be speaking about...

IP led testing services - The future of software testing DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 11:40 - 12:20 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

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NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

Karen Thomas

Karen will be speaking about...

senior practice manager, Barclaycard

What is a Community of Practice?

What is a Community of Practice? What is its purpose?

How can the testing community benefit from its creation? Having been a tester for most of her career, Karen finds one of the hardest challenges to overcome is how testers are assessed against project colleagues such as project managers or business analysts. Karen wants to share how you can create a community; its worth; and how, through this collaborative network, you can change people’s perception within a large organisation.

Karen became a UAT test manager in 1993 with no previous testing experience. Since becoming a tester, Karen has been an advocate of business testing and she defends its worth with a passion. She has worked in life and pensions, retail banking and investment banking for various blue chip companies finally coming to work at Barclaycard, where she has been for the last three years.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 15:35 - 16:15 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

Winners: Best Overall Use of Technology Kerstin Klein manager engineering processes/ infrastructure, Jaspersoft Kerstin Klein has over five years of experience working with Jaspersoft.

Currently, Kerstin manages Jaspersoft’s QA, build and DevOps automation teams. She is an SCM/ Infrastructure expert of designing and implementing state-of-theart configuration management, development automation and software release processes. Kerstin has over 15 years’ experience in IT projects and holds a degree in Computer Science from the University Berufsakademie Dresden.

Kerstin will be speaking about...

From requirement to release - QA centric development Jaspersoft introduces a QA centric, feature driven development approach based on Jaspersoft release cycles, outlining a highly integrated and automated build, test and release environment. During this talk, Kerstin will introduce simple, transparent and easy to adopt processes; outline best practices based on common tools; and will look at the integration points between those.

The main focus will be on QA and test specific topics – covering a full release cycle from customer requirement to release maintenance. Participants will leave this session with best practices and insight into a real-life scenario for product development.

DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 9:50 - 10:30 ROOM: HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

Lisa Donovan

Brindusa Axon

programme and QA manager, Proxama

agile and lean transformation consultant

Lisa’s career spans 13 years; beginning in helpdesk support and gradually progressing into testing, test management and product management, achieving the creation and continued growth of the QA function across a range of organisations. Lisa is the programme and QA manager at Proxama, a next generation near field communications (NFC) mobile commerce company that connects the physical and digital worlds.

Brindusa Axon is a passionate lean and agile consultant, coach and trainer. She works with ambitious companies to facilitate the kind of organisational change that has great impact on the individuals and the bottom line. She is regular speaker at local and international conferences on agile testing, lean product management, and team and self development.

Lisa and Brindusa will be speaking about... Tester in a brave new world In a world where agile and lean are expanding, what are testers supposed to do? Test driven development is shifting the testing and quality ownership from the tester to a team, but where does the tester stand? What value are we bringing to the table? How is our role evolving? More importantly, how do we start taking the lead, rather than wait for others to decide for us?

This session is envisioned to be a space of exploration of our own obsolete concepts and behaviours. All this old baggage is weighing us down and undermines our principles and values. Join Lisa and Brindusa and take a holistic approach and reinvent yourselves. Be the start of the new testing generation, a generation that is resourceful, creative and bold.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 15:35 - 16:15 ROOM: HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

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Lifetime Achievement recipient Paul Gerrard Gerrard Consulting Educated at the universities of Oxford and Imperial College London, Paul has conducted consulting assignments in all aspects of software testing and quality assurance, specialising in test assurance; and has presented keynote talks and tutorials at testing conferences across Europe, the USA, Australia, South Africa and occasionally won awards for them.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 12:00 - 12:40 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

Paul will be speaking about...

The redistribution of testing – Shift Left We have been predicting the demise of the “plain old functional tester” for years and we’ve predicted both good and bad outcomes of the technology and economic change that is going on right now. Changes in the industry itself mean that there are forces pulling testing upstream to analysis, to developers, and very high levels of test automation. This talk sets out the pressures on testers and predicts how the perception of testing is changing. The promise of continuous delivery, specification by example, behaviour-driven development, ubiquitous language and live-specifications is forcing a re-think of systems development and delivery. Paul will set out the key areas of change and how you can reinvent and renovate your role.

Paul Twidell

Bethan Lindly

test lead, Microsoft

test lead, Microsoft

Paul is a test lead with 12 years’ experience working with both in-house and customer project teams. During the last six years, he has been working within Microsoft’s consultancy services team, delivering solutions to customers across multiple technologies and verticals. Paul’s current focus is testing of apps and devices.

Bethan has been working in the test industry for four years. During this time, she has tested within the domains of IPTV, finance and is currently testing applications for Windows Phone 8. Bethan is extremely passionate about the importance of test and the positive impact it has on the quality of customer experiences.

Paul and Bethan will be speaking about... How is testing an application on a mobile device different from testing web and desktop applications?

How is testing an application on a mobile device different from testing web and desktop applications? What are the unique challenges, common issues encountered and best practices to follow? In this session, Bethan and Paul will draw on their experience as test leads within Microsoft’s Mobile App Centre of Excellence, and talk about the types of techniques and tools they have used when testing a variety of mobile apps. As well as discussing general mobile application testing themes, they will also look at the specific challenges associated with testing music, banking and social media applications.

DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 11:40 - 12:20 ROOM: HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE Peter Francome Head of Test and Quality, Virgin Media Peter Francome has 12 years extensive experience of test transformation and leading significant test projects across a variety of industry sectors. He is accountable for IT test and quality across Virgin Media’s business. Peter has over 12 years' extensive experience of test transformation and leading significant test projects across a variety of industry sectors.

DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 10:55 - 11:35 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

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Peter will be speaking about...

Moving to a managed test service The presentation will describe the journey of transforming to a Testing Centre of Excellence (TCoE) at Virgin Media over the past two and a half years.

Peter will cover how they transitioned resources from a 15% offshore model to 75% in 12 months and the tools they’ve implemented to drive test efficiency and meet the demands of exponential growth for device, platform and apps testing.

Peter will cover the success factors that drive test transformation and the lessons Virgin Media learnt along the way so that others embarking on test transition can learn from their experience. The primary objective was to reduce cost, increase time-to-market and ensure quality was not compromised.

Peter will also discuss how they’ve turned their focus to quality management over the past year and where they’ve been successful in driving “shift-left” in their delivery organisation and how that has contributed to increased awareness of the need for quality in Virgin Media.

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

Rod will be speaking about...

Keep sharpening your saw

Rod Armstrong Senior Director of QA, Expedia Rod Armstrong’s experience spans more than 15 years, and he joined Hotels.com in 2010 as senior director QA. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of Quality for the brand’s more than 85 global points of sale, accessed via desktop, mobile web, iOS and android apps.

Rod works in a distributed scaled agile environment with multiple development centres. His team consists of the full range of QA expertise including manual functional, automation and performance engineers.

Shane Kelly Head of QA and Test for one of the largest bookmakers in the UK Shane is Head of QA and test for one of the largest bookmakers in the UK, and has a wide range of experience across the software development lifecycle and in IT application delivery.

He currently heads up a team of more than 100 test analysts and develops and maintains a test framework to improve the overall delivery of the company’s systems and applications. He drives automation as an everyday part of the test solution.

DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 13:45 - 14:25 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

In this talk, Rod will take delegates through the evolution and changes he has seen in the software delivery lifecycle over the last 20 years. Focusing specifically on the changing roles/responsibilities/skills of the QA/test professional within these changing times. Encouraging all to keep in mind the past, but always look to the future and how delegates can influence their own career and position within the wider technology organisation.

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 14:05 - 14:45 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE Shane will be speaking about...

The changing face of the “test” role The role of the tester within the organisation can be as diverse as the types of applications that we need to test, says Shane. Role titles such as test analyst, QA specialist, technical tester, performance tester, automation tester have existed in the test realm as the different career “standards” that are used across the IT industry.

In an attempt to standardise the role and simplify the understanding of the job of a tester within his organisation, Shane will share how his company investigated how to better align the role to engineering principles and career aspirations, as well as how the company is now able to build towards a technically defined test framework, that incorporates automation as a standard.

Srivatsan T. T.

Stuart Feasey

Vice President - Solutions Group, Financial Services, Maveric Systems

Presales support for test automation and service virtualisation, IBM

Srivatsan is a Vice President, heading Maveric’s integrated Solutions Group for the Financial Services business, and has over 23 years of experience.

Srivatsan will be speaking about... QTE versus QCT. Setting the new CIO Agenda - EXECUTIVE DEBATE CIOs are struggling with the quality, cost and time (QCT) paradigm in the context of their technology investments. While initially this was brushed off as the by-product of a fast evolving industry, the financial crisis of 2009 has put this firmly on the priority list. While QCT is the end objective, it is short sighted to speak of QCT alone.

A clear and specific methodology is required to deliver the same. Solutions are therefore beginning to emerge to achieve defined QCT objectives . One such solution is QTE - quality, time and economy; it lays out the principles, the strategy, approach and methodology that could be applied by technocrats and managers to set QCT on course.

Stuart Feasey joined IBM in January 2012 and has over 10 years of systems integration experience and enjoys solving problems.

Stuart will be speaking about... A highlevel overview of the Rational Integration testing capability formally Green Hat Forrester Report DAY: 21st MAY TIME: 14:45 - 15:25 ROOM: BP LECTURE THEATRE

DAY: 20th MAY TIME: 14:50 - 16:15 ROOM: BEVERLY SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM Q&A Panel: Taking place on 20th May at 16:35 - 17:20 in the BP LECTURE THEATRE

Chris Livesey

Rod Armstrong

Chris Ambler

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

Shane Kelly

Jim Woods

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National Software Testing Conference 2014 Exhibitors The International Software Quality Institute (iSQI GmbH) headquartered in Potsdam, with branch offices in Amstelveen and London, is a leading provider of certification examinations all over the world.

TechExcel's ALM solution, DevSuite, consists of a set of fully integrated tools offering solutions for requirements management, project planning, project tracking, task and defect tracking (with SCM integration), and QA testing.

PractiTest is an innovative end-to-end QA and test management tool that is easy and affordable, yet flexible and methodological.

Tech Mahindra represents the connected world, offering innovative and customer-centric information technology services and solutions, enabling enterprises, associates and the society to rise.

Zephyr is a leading provider of on-demand, real-time enterprise test management solutions, offering innovative applications, seamless integrations and unparalleled, real-time visibility into the quality and status of software projects.

ValueLabs is a global IT services company offering technology consulting, software product development, testing, remote infrastructure management and knowledge process outsourcing services.

Cigniti Technologies is the world’s 3rd largest independent software testing services company.

Borland Software Corporation is a Micro Focus company and the Borland brand identifies the requirements, test and change management solutions, which help companies to build better software, faster.

L&T Infotech has an independent testing practice, Testing Service Line (TSL) having 2,700+ testing professionals, specialising in providing end-to-end testing services to clients across globe.

Colours : L&T Yellow Pantone 1235C L&T Black Pantone Process Black C

Tricentis provides the leading enterprise software testing solutions for Global 2000 companies to accelerate business innovation with peace-of-mind.

PASS Technologies AG & Tesnet Group have joined forces.

nFocus specialises exclusively in the provision of software application testing and test consultancy services, and has been doing so since 1999.

Sogeti UK is the UK’s leading provider of software testing services (Ovum, 2011).

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NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

National Software Testing Conference 2014 Floorplan Exhibitor stand = 3m2 x 2m2

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TEST Magazine

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Theatre Rooms/Executive Debate Sessions BP Lecture Theatre - Keynote presentations / Strategy & Management Hugh and Catherine Stevenson Theatre - Process & Tools Raymond Sackler Seminar Room - Executive Debate Session A Beverly Sackler Seminar Room - Executive Debate Session B

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

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ENTRIES OPEN 1ST MAY 2014 VISIT WWW.SOFTWARETESTINGAWARDS.COM

The European Software Testing Awards or TESTA for short, is Europe’s premier platform designed to recognise and celebrate innovation in the software testing and quality assurance market.

National Software Testing Conference 2014 Company profiles

BORLAND In test we trust Recently, Borland addressed our industry’s finest talent at the National Software Testing Conference, just a few months after sponsoring the prestigious European Software Testing Awards. Why are we out there so much? Because hearing about your challenges enables us to design and deliver the solutions you need to meet them. What did we learn? Here’s a précis below...

Optimising the software supply chain In my address, I describe delivering software as being like any other supply chain, with the challenges of multiple stakeholders, complexity, a high rate of change and varied technologies to factor in. That’s why we frequently “take the temperature” of the industry – to identify these issues. For example, our recent survey of 600 CIOs gave us the following headline takeouts: • Precision: 81% felt that requirements were inadequately communicated to their partners.

• Validation: 98% stated that their outsourced projects needed additional in-house work.

• Control: 57% described their outsourced projects as unmanageable, a nightmare or a total failure.

The mess of many, the simplicity of one My colleague, Archie Roboostoff, will discuss how the endless choice of browsers, mobile devices and platforms meant that the consumer is now setting the agenda. While even the smallest organisations can now execute and compete, to walk the walk, delivering application quality – talking the talk – is a different proposition. But with Silk Central Connect, a single, adaptable, script enables even the smallest QA team to execute full cross-browser testing.

Less hardware, more testing He will also talk about how QA teams are having to accommodate increasing numbers of hardware and platform combinations and varying traffic patterns.

More hardware isn’t the solution, but Silk Performer Cloudburst and Silk Test just might be. Better together, they quickly and easily test hundreds of browser and device combinations in the cloud and replicate “real world” traffic so your application keeps performing under load, from every region.

So that’s the top line. If you want to improve your bottom line, check out Borland.com/products, follow me on Twitter @ChrisLiveseyUK or visit my blog at blog.borland.com. Drop me a line. It’s your insight that’s behind everything we do.

A: The Lawn, 22-30 Old Bath Road, Newbury, RG14 1QN T: +44 (0)16 3556 5200 W: www.borland.com

• HEADLINE SPONSOR • EXECUTIVE DEBATES HOST: DAY ONE, 11.15 - 12.40 DAY TWO, 10.55 - 12.20, BOTH IN THE BEVERLY SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM • KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS: DAY ONE, 9.05 - 9.45, BP LECTURE THEATRE • OTHER PRESENTATIONS: DAY ONE, 14.50 - 15.30, HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE. DAY TWO, 9.50 10.30, BP LECTURE THEATRE • EXHIBITOR: STAND 9

ISQI GmbH Certifying people, setting quality standards The International Software Quality Institute (iSQI GmbH) headquartered in Potsdam, with branch offices in Amstelveen and London, is a leading provider of certification examinations all over the world. Focusing on IT professions, iSQI plays a large role in certifying the know-how of professionals in over 90 countries on six continents in 10 languages. Three quarters of the German DAX 30 companies rely on iSQI’s expertise.

In 2013, iSQI certified more than 14,000 individuals.

The iSQI “Certified” program includes internationally-recognised standards for software testing, requirements engineering, software architecture, project-, innovationand configuration management, as well as quality assurance and the certification of ISO 15504 SPICE Assessors. iSQI’s ISO 9001 compliance is the independently confirmed guarantee for its business partners that all contracts are fulfilled in a secure and high-quality manner.

Its ISO 17024 compliant certification processes meet all strict requirements in the day-to-day business practice.

iSQI examinations are supported by a global network of accredited training providers. Their expertise in education assists professionals in polishing their knowledge and skills for the certification exams.

Headquartered in Germany, iSQI has entered into more than 100 global partnerships and projects. It collaborates actively in international organisations such as the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO). The Institute’s efforts aim at establishing improved industry standards by combining industry input and research findings.

Moreover, iSQI assembles professionals by regularly hosting international conferences.

These platforms for experts from the industry and academia foster experience exchanges and business development, as well as advancements towards software quality engineering as a matured discipline.

Contact: Debbie Archer A: 68 King William Street, London, EC4N 7D T: +44 (0) 20 7959 2438 E: debbie.archer@isqi.org.uk W: www.isqi.org

•

EXHIBITOR: STAND 2

We are proud to be a sponsor and are looking forward to meeting you at the first National Software Testing Conference in May 2014!

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

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JASPERSOFT The intelligence inside Jaspersoft empowers millions of people every day to make better decisions faster by bringing them timely, actionable data inside their apps and business processes. Its embeddable, cost-effective visualisation, reporting and analytics platform allows anyone to quickly self-serve to get the answers they need, while scaling architecturally and economically to reach everyone.

Thanks to a community that is hundreds-ofthousands strong, Jaspersoft’s commercial open source software has been downloaded millions of times and is used to create the intelligence inside hundreds of thousands of apps and business processes.

Jaspersoft BI Community is available for free download and provides reporting, analysis, and data integration functionality together with community-based support. In contrast, Jaspersoft BI Professional is a commercial license aimed at SMEs and ISVs and comes additionally with advanced functionality such as web-based design tools, integrated in-memory analysis as well as customer support and guaranteed SLAs. Jaspersoft BI Enterprise represents a commercial packaging of tools for the most challenging of BI requirements with capabilities not included in the Professional Community editions, including audit logging, a relational OLAP server, data integration

(ETL) and a multi-tenant server configuration.

Jaspersoft’s BI suite is: • Self-service focused: Provides selfservice BI capabilities for all user types: interactive reporting for operational managers, interactive dashboards for executives, data exploration and analytics for analysts, data integration and data virtualisation for data architects and monitoring and diagnostics for IT. • Embeddable [for embedded]: Built to 100% web standards with comprehensive web service APIs and CSS-based UI for customisation; embeddable in any app, on-premises or in the cloud with full multitenancy, desktop or mobile.

• Flexible: Built to 100% web standards; can be integrated into any IT stack no matter the OS, database, web app or app server; can be deployed onpremises or in a public/private cloud.

A: The Digital Court, Rainsford Street, Dublin 8, Ireland T: +353 1 4474300 E: sales-emea@jaspersoft.com W: www.jaspersoft.com http://community.jaspersoft.com

• •

TESTA WINNERS PRESENTATIONS: DAY TWO, 9.50 - 10.30, HUGH AND CATHERINE STEVENSON THEATRE

• Affordable: Economical to get started quickly with a small workgroup or to scale to thousands of users with a low-cost subscription model and no per-user fees.

• Scalable: Built for the HTML5 web; scales to thousands of users, either standalone or inside an app; terabyte-scale, columnar-based in-memory engine allows analysis of Big Data.

L&T INFOTECH Our testing capabilities L&T Infotech is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the USD 14 billion plus Larsen & Toubro (ranked 4th in the global list of Green Companies in the industrial sector by Newsweek international), which has a presence in construction, engineering, manufacturing and financial services. L&T Infotech is ranked by NASSCOM as the 8th largest software and services exporter from India and among the top 20 IT BPO employers.

L&T Infotech provides end-to-end solutions and services in BFSI; travel and logistics; media and entertainment; healthcare; energy and process; utilities and E&C; hi-tech and consumer electronics; CPG, retail and pharmaceuticals; auto and aerospace; industrial products; as well as testing; mobility; infrastructure management system; BI/DW; SAP; Oracle and Microsoft; enterprise integration; and manufacturing execution systems, in addition to an innovative CIO-thought partnership program that provides a valuedriven edge to clients.

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Our independent testing practice has 2,500+ testing professionals and specialises in providing end-to-end testing services to clients across globe and industries. Our service portfolio covers the entire software lifecycle and includes high-end test consulting services to bridge gaps between business objectives and testing. With our comprehensive testing service portfolio, we ensure faster turnaround, improved operational efficiencies and process standardisation. We help build organisations and Testing Centres of Excellence (TCoE) to address risks and challenges both in technology and business arena.

Our Technology Competency Group (TCG) and Test Labs enable our clients to carryout research and development, tool evaluation and building solution accelerators, etc.

Our alliance and partnership with leading testing tool vendors enables us to provide comprehensive solutions to our clients. We stand committed to our vision to provide world-class service to clients in our areas of focus, offering solutions that are based on business and technology insights.

Contact: Chintu Varkey Colours : L&T Yellow Pantone 1235C L&T Black Pantone Process Black C

A: Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd. Ground Floor, 3 Sheldon Sqaure, W2 6PS, London T: +44 (0)207 266 7777 E: chintu.varkey@lntinfotech.com W: www.lntinfotech.com

•

EXHIBITOR: STAND 10

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

MAVERIC SYSTEMS IT lifecycle assurance Maveric Systems Limited is a preferred “IT lifecycle assurance” partner to leading corporations in the banking, insurance and Telecom verticals in UK, Europe, APAC and Middle East.

The company’s Requirements Assurance, Application Assurance and Program Assurance services are aimed at eliminating quality, cost and time-to-market risks associated with large IT transformation programs. At the heart of Maveric’s value proposition is its “Assurance-only” business model aided by domain- and IP-led integrated solutions that cater to diverse assurance requirements from inception to go-live.

Maveric’s best-in-class methods in requirements definition, requirements validation, project management, leading product configuration, ITIL process consulting and functional and nonfunctional testing have been widely recognised. Maveric was the recipient of Frost and Sullivan Product Innovation award, as well as the Banker Middle East Industry Awards 2013.

Maveric has been recently identified as a transformation specialist, serving “Transformation Focused Clients”, by NelsonHall, a leading analyst and advisory firm. In UK and Europe, Maveric’s services have been enlisted by clients such as

Citibank, Deutsche Bank, RBS, Capita, Tesco, MCIS Zurich and Ericsson. Maveric has also been working with emerging leaders such as Metro, Kleinworth Benson , KBL and Rabo Bank.

Maveric focuses on product implementation assurance and has, to its credit, multiple engagements around a large number of banking , insurance and telecom products, including Temenos T24, Flex Cube, Finacle, Eximbills, Trade Innovation, BankTrade, Fidessa, Sungard, Murex, Ingenium, TIA, BSCS, Siebel,TIBCO, CS5.

Maveric continuously strives to uphold its commitment to the principles of independence, vertical focus and innovation. Further, its “assurance only” focus, which favours depth over width, has resulted in many leading players such as CLS, Deutsche Bank and IAG selecting it as a niche vendor in the last 12 months.

Maveric has turned its insights across requirements definition, product configuration and acceptance testing into a licensable innovation, called “AssureHawk”, which accelerates upgrade initiatives around a number of applications, including Temenos T24 , Flexcube, VisionPlus and Tsys.

Contact: Jamie Doyle A: 5, Laybourne House, Admirals Way, London E14 9UH T: +44 (0) 20 7001 0555 M: +44 (0) 7908 039851 F: +44 (0) 20 7538 3953 E: jamied@maveric-systems.com

• •

SUPPORTER EXECUTIVE DEBATES HOST: DAY ONE, 14.50 - 16.15, BEVERLY SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM

With a workforce of 1,000 located in offices across London, Princeton, Dubai, Singapore and Chennai, Maveric delivers 100% successful IT implementation to clients.

TEST MAGAZINE Innovation for software quality TEST Magazine was specifically created as a voice for the modern-day software testing professional. Published by 31 Media, organisers of The European Software Testing Awards (TESTA) and the National Software Testing Conference, TEST Magazine is a bi-monthly publication that looks at the processes, technologies, strategies and opinions surrounding the software testing and quality assurance market.

Since inception in 2008, TEST Magazine has listened intently to the market and responded accordingly by consistently publishing a non-technical journal that provides high quality business-led editorial, which helps the magazine’s 12,000 plus readers form new thinking and identify solutions to invariably complex issues.

The Software Testing News website (www. softwaretestingnews.co.uk) provides the latest news in the industry; from the most up-to-date reports in web security to the latest testing tool that can help you perform

better. Featuring stimulating, intriguing blogs from experienced software testers and leading vendors, you can be sure that you will get all the information you need from Software Testing News.

By adopting an uncomplicated and fresh approach, both TEST Magazine and Software Testing News are gratefully received by key professionals at the sharp end, but are also sought after by the individuals responsible for business management and direction, due to the wider editorial stance on process change and implementation.

With an unparalleled circulation of some 12,000 professionals from across the EU, TEST Magazine is not only a respected route to market for advertisers, but it is a “must read” for any professional aligned with this burgeoning sector.

TEST Magazine is widely regarded as the leading journal for software testing and quality assurance in Europe.

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTER

Contact: Sarah Walsh A: 41-42 Daisy Business Park, 19-35 Sylvan Grove, SE15 1PD, London T: +44 (0) 203 668 6945 E: sarah.walsh@31media.co.uk W: www.testingmagazine.com

• •

SUPPORTER EXHIBITOR: STAND 15

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TRICENTIS Tosca Testsuite – A fresh approach to testing Everything we’ve learned about changing software testing for the better is expressed through Tricentis Tosca Testsuite. Our seamless solution gives test teams unprecedented power to measure, manage and control risk coverage.

From the ability to generate test cases based on atomic knowledge of risk, to the simplicity of model-based test automation that enables test execution in plain English, to real-time analytics for proactive optimisation, our approach delivers entirely new levels of ease and accuracy while minimising time, effort and cost.

Tosca Testsuite integrates with SAP, Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and other testing solutions and interfaces with the full range of applications demanded by today’s enterprise environments.

Model Based Test Automation: Modules combine to create a model of an application’s interface.

Technology Integration Engine: Unite testing and development in the same process.

Synthetic Test Data Engine: Generate the test data you need.

Dashboards & Analytics: Our dashboard gives you atomic knowledge of each test case’s contribution to risk coverage.

Contact: Nadeem Malik A: 1 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4BZ T: +44 (0)844 80 79 905 E: n.malik@tricentis.com W: www.tricentis.com

Our key benefits: • Reduce business risk with test coverage rates of up to 95% • Optimise efficiency by increasing automation by up to 90% • Reduce costs by 50% or more • Reduce your time-to-market • Maintain control over quality, even if you outsource your testing

• •

Test Management: Full traceability across all aspects of the testing process in plain English.

•

Risk Management Engine: Create and automate test cases according to business risk.

•

GOLD SPONSOR EXECUTIVE DEBATES HOST: DAY ONE 14.50 - 15.30, BP LECTURE THEATRE, DAY TWO 10.55 - 11.35, BOTH IN THE RAYMOND SACKLER SEMINAR ROOM PRESENTATIONS: DAY ONE, 11.15 - 11.55, BP LECTURE THEATRE EXHIBITOR: STAND 11

TESTING SOLUTIONS GROUP LTD (TSG) Taking the risk out of now TSG provides compelling testing solutions that allow businesses to launch new systems, with confidence.

Winner of The European Software Testing Awards- UKTB Testing Manager of the year.

For us, it’s about business assurance and outcomes, not just testing.

TSG - Ranked in Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2013.

Why TSG? TSG have been recognised as a point of excellence over the last 12 years for many blue chip companies such as IBM, Fujitsu, Bank of England, FCA/FSA, The Royal Bank of Canada, Linklaters LLP and countless others in the UK.

“TSG attributes its 283 Percent Revenue Growth to its focus on delivering high quality testing services that demonstrate savings throughout programme delivery and systems that underpin its clients businesses”.

We have also supported client programmes in the USA, Hong Kong, Hungary, Portugal and Australia.

A: Dowgate House, 14-16 Dowgate Hill, London, EC4R 2SU T: +44 (0)207 469 1500 E: testmagazine@testing-solutions.com W: www.testing-solutions.com

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TESTA WINNERS PRESENTATIONS: DAY ONE, 14.50 - 15.30, BP LECTURE THEATRE

NSTC 2014 PROGRAMME | www.softwaretestingconference.com

THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTER INNOVATION FOR SOFTWARE QUALITY

Subscribe to TEST free!

EUROPEAN

5: ISSUE 4 VOLUME 13 AUGUST 20

INNOVATION FOR SOFTWARE QUALITY

TEST: THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTER

TEST: THE

N INNOVATIO E WAR FOR SOFT QUALITY

SOFTWARE

VOLUME 6: ISSUE 1 FEBRUARY 2014 THE EUROPEAN SOFTWARE TESTER

TESTER

.co.uk magazine www.test

www.testmagazine.co.uk

E TESTER SOFTWAR OPEAN THE EUR

CONNECTED CARS: RACE TO THE FUTURE

R IS IT TIME FO ?

K IN A RETH

AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS KEEP CHALLENGING SOFTWARE TESTING

D RAPID QUALITY AN T MUST EN DEVELOPM AND -H -IN GO HAND

VOLUME 6: ISSUE 1: FEBRUARY 2014

INSIDE:

INSIDE:

NEWS: D NEWS:TRENDS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

VOLUME 5: ISSUE 4:

WORL N SNOWDE THE NEW EDITORIAL EDWARD ADVISORY BOARD R HIS LIFE FEARS FO INTERVIEW: INTERVIEWS

AUGUST

THE CROSS-POLLINATION : CAREER OF TESTING PRACTICES

2013

FOCUS ON

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SUCCESSFUL SOFTWARE DELIVERY

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While complexity has increased exponentially, managing requirements hasn’t evolved at the same pace. Borland tools can improve collaboration. Our technical solution keeps stakeholders in sync throughout the project lifecycle. Better input means better products.

So join the thousands of Borland customers who already tackle requirements the right way ... precisely.

See more at www.borland.com/connect

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