Test process improvement is a consulting package that raises your testing organization to a higher professional level in a gradual, controlled manner.

Test process improvement should not be confused with test consulting.
Test consulting is rather technical in nature and focused on troubleshooting test projects by correcting weak practices.
Test process improvement, on the other hand, is aimed at fundamental, lasting changes to the test process.
It is typically a long-term engagement, as the barriers that need to be overcome are often more behavioral and organizational than technical in nature.

Test process improvement is carried with specific business goals in mind. Benefits sought include:

• Increase quality – Software has become an intrinsic part of virtually every business in every sector. While the complexity and pervasiveness of software systems continues to grow, customer’s tolerance for problems declines. These trends have made software testing critically important to many organizations and test teams are constantly under the gun to improve their effectiveness.
• Reduce risk – Deploying inadequately tested software constitutes a considerable risk to an organization. Defective software can lead to loss of business, repair costs, loss of market reputation and fines. The growing pervasiveness of software has also caught the attention of regulators and today’s software systems have to comply with a growing list of legal, fiscal, privacy and other regulations, see also computer system validation
• Reduce schedule and cost – As important as testing is, companies need to keep the cost of testing and release schedules under control. With software testing representing 25 to 50% of the development cost on average, and testing on the critical path of every development planning, investing in a more efficient testing process is definitely money well spent.
• Improve project transparency and control – As your test maturity grows, test deliverables improve. Improvements in test planning provide a solid baseline against which progress can be tracked, while improved metrics provide objective insight in the true state of the test project and the quality of the software under test. This allows management to make better informed decisions and steer the project to successful completion
• Improve management perception – Management often perceives testing as a part of the project that provides low value and is hard to control. With a proper test process in place, a test team can demonstrate consistent performance and provide decision makers with vital information about the true state of the project.

ps_testware has a track record of successful test process improvements in both large and small organizations.
Contact us to understand what we can do for you.