Test Assessment: Better testing, better product quality

Digitalization speeds up development cycles and increases the complexity of products in the automotive sector. OEMs experience high pressure to develop sophisticated premium products in a massively reduced amount of time, featuring more and more components developed by several suppliers. To ensure not just a rapid but also high in quality production, OEMs are reliant on sound, state-of-the-art testing.

Product innovation forces software testing innovation

Those changes in production might in several cases also force changing the strategy of testing itself. The longstanding, well-established testing process can no longer guarantee satisfying and profound results since its cycle became too long. For example, OEMs keep testing software with one test team for smartphone, one for the control unit and one for the backend. An improved testing solution can boil down parallel testing to one single activity with all interfaces in sight, end-to-end.

Another often perceived issue derives from the management level. Sometimes, managers just need an external view from experts to cross-check their own findings with independent results from a neutral external party, to identify gaps and to ensure that all important defects are found. This is even more helpful if a new manager is in charge. Either way, we assess the current effectiveness and efficiency of testing.

And not to forget the challenges of testing and development teams scattered worldwide. On the one hand, that makes it difficult for the management level to oversee what is really going on in their testing department. On the other hand, globally dispersed teams require a special coordination and communication. The status quo of current testing needs to be monitored and always up-to-date.

What does 'good quality testing' mean exactly? And how can OEMs assess it?

That’s exactly where umlaut comes into play: Say, the development lead of a large German automotive manufacturer requests an assessment for its testing department. What follows is our one-of-a-kind umlaut Test Assessment being rolled out in three steps:

1. Analysis: We conduct interviews with decision-makers to collect information in a theoretical model. On a practical level, we accompany testers in daily business to gain insights into the current test execution.
2. Evaluation: What are the results? What runs well, what should be improved, where do we find test gaps? We proof the quality according to the seven elements of the umlaut Testing Chain, reflecting the whole testing process: planning & steering, content, environment, execution, documentation, defect management and reporting. The chain itself is only as strong as its weakest element.
3. Recommendation: We propose concrete potential improvements which are sustainable and present best practice examples.

In a nutshell, the goal is to deliver a reliable statement about the current testing quality and offer feasible suggestions for optimization. Thereby our customer gains important insights into its current testing situation and knows exactly how to optimize it. But please: Let’s not stop there!

Consultancy from expert to expert and support for implementation on top

Our Test Assessment teams are made of consultants and specialists with years of working experience in the assessed area. And since we are consulting in our very own competence field, we really know what we are talking about. That’s why automotive OEMs as well as Tier-1 worldwide trust in our expertise.

The flexible on-site consultancy of our experts – and currently our remote support via MS Teams – makes it easy for us to dig deep into our customers testing processes and work together closely to find the best solution for the development of high-quality products. We don’t just hand over reports but give recommendations and advice with doable best practices we created and implemented ourselves. Plus, we can take over concrete testing tasks if needed.

Applicable in all industries

Invented within our automotive environment, the Test Assessment is applicable to all other industries. We have put the methodical approach through its paces and adapted it to the needs and requirements of our umlaut experts and partners in sectors such as: aviation, telecommunication, healthcare and software development.

We already successfully delivered a whole testing strategy as well as support with implementation for a well-known German tool manufacturer. This speedier process with better oversight makes them ready for today's new digital challenges.