Evolution of DevOps and ALM
There certainly is a continual convergence of industrial products, processes, and embedded software. The explosion of IoT devices has only accelerated a collision between software and quality.
We see more media reports about it, and what is interesting is that even traditional industries are facing a deluge of bad press from product recalls and delays — such as the massive inventory of software defects for the controversial US military F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, bank customers unable to access online accounts, and auto airbag sensor glitches all resulting from software issues.
In other high-profile incidents, smart thermostats left users in the cold, while smart meters installed at our homes reportedly are vulnerable to a number of flaws that lead to quality of life problems and security threats. For example, it’s possible calibration data wasn’t verified after collection, the smart meter was cloned for criminal purposes by hackers, or the grid remains vulnerable to large-scale software shutdowns.
When IoT software isn’t developed with an end-to-end consideration of integrated Test Management, it often leads to problematic outcomes. Primarily managing the flow of Test Cases and defects should be the main goal, however the introduction of “Risk Management” must be a complimentary consideration. The goal is to minimize the risk of product recalls and poor public perception from potentially defective software.
Companies looking to use IoT solutions are consistently looking to deliver new value-added products and features continuously to their customers, however product quality needs to be addressed – and not – compromised. Quality should be king in all things developed using software.
Polarion QA is the first step in facilitating the management and coordination of software quality for IoT solutions. (For additional information, please read our “Testing the Internet of Things” white paper.) Polarion QA provides a platform for managing all testing related activities and artifacts, a complete testing ecosystem that includes Test Automation, Test Performance, Defect tracking, and IP Management in a centralized Testing platform.
