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78% of European organisations fail to take action to address poor software quality
Survey reveals that quality initiatives are failing to gain tractionLondon, 27 April 2006 - Research from Compuware has revealed that European organisations are neglecting quality in application development. 78% of companies are failing to consistently apply a formal quality assurance (QA) methodology. It is therefore unsurprising that almost half (49%) of these organisations have not applied a quality programme like CMM or Six Sigma to their development procedures, in order to drive continuous quality improvement. The negative impact of not implementing a quality programme is widespread inconsistency, with 44% stating that quality was managed at a departmental level and that different methodologies were being implemented. "Project failure is exceptionally costly to businesses. Industry analysts estimate that 50% of IT projects fail to meet their objectives, and in most instances the cause of the problem can be laid at the feet of poor quality from the offset. Improving quality is vital to avoid high profile failures and revenue loss, but the research would indicate that, rather than being at the top of the business agenda, quality isn't even on the radar. Businesses are really missing a trick and as such are struggling to develop applications that support rather than hinder business needs. It's something of a vicious circle that in many organisations is resulting in revenue loss. But until quality is recognised as a key component for success, it's a circle that companies are trapped in," commented Jon Oliver, EMEA IS Director, Compuware. "Effective quality assurance is all about understanding and determining risk, and to do this you need to get the input of IT, business and the user community. Operating in silos means that development teams aren't getting the right level of input to understand risks correctly and as a result we continue to see organisations wasting millions of Euros/Pounds on development projects that ultimately fail." The survey also revealed that quality isn't being taken as seriously as it should be within organisations. Shockingly, almost a quarter (24%) admitted that their QA team was not made up of trained and experienced individuals. A further 30% are experienced and well trained but do not have a full-time team manager. The worrying result of so many QA teams being left to flounder is that 43% of teams are not capturing historical metrics that could be used to improve software quality. An additional 12% admitted to capturing these metrics but not reviewing them. Just 14% of businesses said that they had a formal plan in place for improving application quality and that they consistently performed post-deployment analysis and acted on the results. "High-level buy in is essential to improving software processes
and I am astonished by the number of QA teams that are not properly trained
or experienced. At present it would appear that developers are doomed
to make the same mistakes over and over again. For quality to claw its
way up the business agenda, developers must start talking in a language
that the business can understand. Steps must also be taken to prove that
development isn't a black hole, but a function of IT that is striving
to improve its processes at every turn in order to deliver tangible business
benefits. In order to do this we must see the approach to quality maturing.
At a very basic level this means capturing historical metrics and actually
applying them, training staff and adopting a consistent enterprise wide
approach to managing quality," continued Oliver. The research was conducted recently by Compuware amongst major enterprises
across Europe. About CompuwareCompuware Corporation (NASDAQ: CPWR) maximises the value IT brings to the business by helping CIOs more effectively manage the business of IT. Compuware solutions accelerate the development, improve the quality and enhance the performance of critical business systems while enabling CIOs to align and govern the entire IT portfolio, increasing efficiency, cost control and employee productivity throughout the IT organisation. Founded in 1973, Compuware serves the world's leading IT organisations, including more than 90 per cent of the Fortune 100 companies. For more information visit: www.compuware.co.uk Compuware is a registered trademark of Compuware Corporation. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Compuware is a member of The Prince's Trust Technology Leadership Group
(TLG), a premier industry-networking forum for leaders within the IT industry,
established in May 2002. For Compuware Press Inquiries Contact:Sophie Jarvis / Christian Sharp |
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