Effectiveness of software testing techniques in enterprise: a case study

 
INTRODUCTION 
Relevance of the topic.
Since the use of computers increased the significance of software testing 
has gained more mainstream attention from information technology (hereinafter - IT) professionals. 
(Gelperin & Hetzel, 1988). From an IT perspective, innovations made software developers to respond 
to each emerging technology quicker; thus it negatively impacted software quality. Galin (2004) 
explains that software quality has a direct relationship with software testing; hence testing is an 
important phase of the software development life cycle. Enterprises expenditure for testing takes a 
quite big part of all software development budget: 50 % in 1979, 24% in 2006, 18% in 2012, 23% in 
2013, 26% in 2014, 35% in 2015, and 31% in 2016 (Hans van Waayenburg & Raffi Margaliot, 2016; 
Myers, Sandler, & Badgett, 2011; Perry, 2006). From 1979 to 2012, the significant decrease of 
expenditure towards software testing is observed, whilst from 2013 to 2016 the numbers are quite the 
opposite. However, this stabilization period may depend on various factors, including the size and the 
complexity of the software development projects, labor costs, and overall upkeep of information 
communication technology (hereinafter - ICT) infrastructure. 
Software testing is a discipline which by essence is not very complex or difficult to implement. 
However, it may be costly and demanding in human effort or in technology which multiplies it 
(Hambling & Morgan, 2011). Software testing is often considered as a routine and low-level task. 
Despite these unjustified presumptions, it is a critical part of software development process 
determining the efficiency or even correctness of final product that is tended to be free of serious 
defects. Indeed, software testing faces a collection of challenges (Bertolino, 2007; Hans van 
Waayenburg & Raffi Margaliot, 2016): with the complexity, pervasiveness and criticality of software 
growing; identification of the right areas on which to test, the realization of benefits from automation; 
the lack of skills in the areas of intelligence-driven testing strategies and newer test automation skills, 
tight control of budgets, selection of the right testing techniques, types etc. Therefore, ensuring that 
software behaves according to the desired levels of quality and dependability becomes more crucial, 
increasingly difficult, and expensive.