Independent Global Study of Developers and Testing Professionals Reveals Increasing Adoption of Agile, DevOps; Management Views Automated Testing as Critical
SAN FRANCISCO, SAUCECON - March 1, 2018 - Sauce Labs, Inc., provider of the world’s largest cloud-based platform for continuous testing of web and mobile applications, today announced the results of an independent survey, titled, “Testing Trends in 2018: A Survey of Development and Testing Professionals.” The survey, conducted by Dimensional Research, reveals that agile and DevOps adoption is on the rise, with 91 percent of respondents reporting that they have adopted agile practices and 17 percent reporting that they have fully embraced DevOps. Findings also show that management views automation as critical, with 87 percent reporting that management is on board with automated testing.
The fourth annual “State of Testing” report is designed to better understand current trends related to delivering high-quality web and mobile applications. Findings highlight the vast complexity of software and its testing requirements, as testers now need to consider multiple platforms, devices, browsers, version of operating systems and more. To help developers and testers meet increasing end-user demands, Sauce Labs also announced today its Continuous Testing Cloud to enable users to more effectively deliver high-quality applications faster.
Testing early and often is a core tenet of continuous testing, but it must be coupled with the ability to find and fix bugs quickly to keep pace with the modern software development cycle. Survey data shows that bugs aren’t being fixed faster, with only 21 percent of respondents reporting they fix bugs immediately, down from 23 percent in 2017. These findings signal that despite the widespread adoption of agile and DevOps and the commitment to automated testing, debugging code quickly remains a barrier to reaping the full benefits of agile and DevOps.
“As the leader in continuous testing, we frequently survey the market on modern testing practices to ensure we’re supporting our customers in their journey to achieve continuous integration or continuous delivery,” said Charles Ramsey, CEO of Sauce Labs. “It’s clear from this year’s results that our customers not only need a fast and reliable cloud to execute their automated tests, they also need tools to help them debug faster.”
Additional key findings from the report include:
The value of automated testing is clear
45 percent of respondents expect to increase spending on test automation in 2018; 55 percent at large companies
56 percent do as much or more automated as manual testing, a minor decrease from 59 percent (2017) and 60 percent (2016).
Testing is conducted on more browser types, and increasingly on only the most recent versions
90 percent test on more than one browser, up from 88 percent in 2017
39 percent test on five or more types of browsers, up from 29 percent in 2017
5 percent test on Google Chrome only
53 percent test on only the most recent browser version, up from 34 percent in 2016
A mix of real devices and simulators becomes the norm for mobile testing
77 percent use a mix of both real devices and simulators or emulators for mobile testing, up from 34 percent in 2015
“Software development and testing is continuing to change significantly to solve the complexity and challenges of modern applications,” said Diane Hagglund, principal researcher at Dimensional Research. “Teams are adapting to move faster, and a rising adoption of DevOps and a commitment to automated testing reflects how modern methodologies are becoming more and more critical to successful application development.”
“The promise of testing early and often with automation is that you’re able to find and fix bugs faster, saving your company significant time and money,” said Lubos Parobek, VP of Product at Sauce Labs. “Sauce Labs is committed to helping customers not only find bugs, but fix them faster with new extended debugging features, as well as advanced analytics.”
For a white paper with more details on continuous testing, click here.
Survey Methodology A global database of technology professionals responsible for testing web and mobile applications was sent an invitation to participate in an online survey, with a range of questions asked to capture hard data on current experiences, challenges and trends in software testing. A total of 1,091 individuals participated in the survey, comprising a wide range of company sizes, roles, vertical industries, and geographies. To allow for trend analysis, certain questions were repeated from similar surveys conducted with the same audience in previous years.
About Dimensional Research Dimensional Research® provides practical market research to help technology companies make their customers more successful. Our researchers are experts in the people, processes, and technology of corporate IT. We understand how technology organizations operate to meet the needs of their business stakeholders. We partner with our clients to deliver actionable information that reduces risks, increases customer satisfaction, and grows the business. For more information, visit dimensionalresearch.com.
About Sauce LabsSauce Labs ensures the world’s leading apps and websites work flawlessly on every browser, OS and device. Its award-winning Continuous Testing Cloud provides development and quality teams with instant access to the test coverage, scalability, and analytics they need to deliver a flawless digital experience.
Sauce Labs is a privately held company funded by Toba Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Centerview Capital Technology, IVP and Adams Street Partners. For more information, please visit https://saucelabs.com.
