Test management: 4 good practices to reduce time and costs

In the context of software development, test management plays a crucial component in ensuring the quality of digital products, while guaranteeing control over time and costs. Effective test management allows not only to identify and solve potential bugs and defects before release, but also to ensure that the software is consistent and capable of meeting specifications and requirements. However, test management is often complex and costly, leading to delays and budget overruns. 

Precisely for this reason, it is good to adopt a set of best practices to optimise the testing process, improve communication between teams and keep resources under control. Therefore, let's find out what are the 4 best practices for meeting time and costs in test management. 

1. Start now and strategically plan test management

Starting test management early in the software development life cycle (SDLC) is crucial to ensure the quality and sustainability of the digital product.  

​​According to a report of the CISQ (Consortium for Information & Software Quality), by 2022, the cost of poor software quality in the US stands at $2.41 trillion.​​​ 

Not only that: the technical debt, accumulated due to short-term fixes adopted to solve software development problems, which resulted in hidden costs, turned out to be about USD 1.52 trillion. The numbers include: cybersecurity failures, including data breaches, operations failures amounting to $1.81 trillion, through the search and resolution of flaws in the code at $607 billion, to legacy systems and development projects that never saw the light of day at $520 billion and $260 billion, respectively. 

These figures ring a clear bell ​​and emphasise, more than ever, the importance of proactively planning to ensure software quality, right from the beginning of the development process. 

How does strategic test planning work?

Strategic test planning starts with a thorough understanding of the project requirements and close collaboration with stakeholders to establish objectives, software quality, deadlines and budget. 

First, the test domains must be defined, identifying which software components will be tested and what types of tests will be required, such as functional, integration and regression tests. This planning enables the creation of a detailed test plan, within which strategies, resources, timeframes and deliverables must be present, with a focus on the methodologies, environments and tools to be used. Furthermore, with the definition of acceptance criteria, it is possible to establish the conditions for success a priori, specifying both the quality metrics and the conditions to be met. 

In parallel, the definition of priorities is necessary, an essential element for accurate resource management. Analysing software components with a view to identifying high-risk areas and assessing their actual impact and probability of failure allows the creation of a priority matrix, so as to focus attention on the most critical areas. 

Finally, it is also important to focus on the functionalities that have the greatest impact on end users, and to use real data to identify the main areas involved, to improve prioritisation and the creation of a strategic testing plan.  

2. Use automation and crowdtesting   

Test automation can also increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the software development cycle. In fact, automation makes it possible to quickly carry out repetitive and complex test suites, thus reducing the time needed to detect defects and proceed with their resolution.   

Test automation is an indispensable element of a successful test management strategy. Suffice it to say that, ​​according to the Global Test Management Software Market Growth (Status and Outlook) 2024-2030, the global test management software market in 2023 reached an economic size of USD 338.5 million. A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2% is also expected. All this will lead to an estimated value reaching USD 628 million by 2030. This trend ​​can be attributed to several factors, including increasing software complexity, the need for faster release cycles and the growing adoption of Agile and DevOps testing methodologies. Organisations are, therefore, recognising the importance of effective and automated test management with the main objective of ensuring software quality and reliability. 

In order to activate the test automation process, however, it is necessary to identify the most suitable test cases, including the most repetitive and high-risk ones.  

Next to automation, another good practice in the field of test management is the use of crowdtesting, the new frontier for testing.  

What is crowdtesting?

Crowdtesting employs heterogeneous users (in terms of age, origin, type of hardware and software) who, through a fresh eyes approach, characterised by the absence of bias, are able to accurately reflect the complexity of the outside world. In this way, it can analyse and identify, closely and objectively, all the elements that might have generated problems in user experience, and make the necessary changes. 

3. Adopt advanced monitoring and reporting

In the context of test management, the implementation of advanced monitoring and reporting systems also plays a critical role in ensuring software quality and efficient testing processes. This practice uses advanced tools and procedures to maintain continuous control over the status of tests and the progress of the software during development and release. 

Constant monitoring allows early detection of problems in testing and software, providing immediate feedback to development and testing teams. This is crucial in Agile and DevOps environments, where rapid release cycles require immediate response to errors and anomalies, bringing tangible benefits such as: 

• Early detection of defects and anomalies, reducing the time needed for troubleshooting and minimising the impact on the overall project. 

• Continuous feedback, simplifying the development cycle and providing better management of changes and responsiveness to evolving requirements. 

• Optimising resources by applying continuous performance monitoring and improving resource allocation in order to focus efforts on the most critical and problematic areas of the code. 

• Reducing long-term costs by identifying and resolving problems early, thus reducing costs associated with late corrections and delayed releases, helping to keep the project within budget and schedule.  

What is needed for effective monitoring?

With regard to tools and best practices to enable constant and effective monitoring in test management, it is crucial to adopt key approaches and tools including: 

• Monitoring Dashboards: through the use of interactive dashboards, teams can view real-time test status, quality metrics and software performance.  

• Log Analysis and Reporting: the collection and analysis of test logs and error reports is crucial for identifying the root causes of defects and improving software stability. 

• Quality metrics: by defining, implementing and monitoring quality metrics, including test success rate, code coverage level and average time to resolution, it is possible to gain an overall view of software health. 

• Alerts and notifications: the implementation of alert and notification systems allows teams to be notified immediately in case of critical errors or test failures, for a prompt and effective response. 

4. Integrate iterative loops into test management

A further good practice in test management is iterative testing, i.e. repeated cycles of planning, test execution, evaluation of results and improvement of testing strategies. A truly dynamic process by which testing activities can be continuously adapted in response to software evolutions, user feedback and changes in requirements, enabling companies to remain competitive and responsive.  

Addressing quality problems early through continuous improvement helps, in fact, to manage technical debt, reducing future maintenance costs and improving software sustainability over time. Integrating iterative cycles not only optimises operational efficiency by reducing software-related risks, but also supports the creation of a culture of continuous improvement within the organisation. 

Test management, the key to business success and sustainability

To summarise, by implementing robust methodologies and advanced test management tools you can ensure the success of your projects, and at the same time significantly improve your customers' satisfaction and strengthen your position in an increasingly competitive global market. 

Test management is not just a technical process, but a fundamental strategic element that contributes to the creation of high-quality software. This approach ensures a lasting competitive advantage and also promotes long-term sustainable growth by maintaining the best balance between effectiveness, efficiency and cost control throughout the product life cycle.