Qual IT/ Intergen Partnership Raises Bar of Software Quality

Qual IT and Intergen Partnership Raises the Bar for Software Quality

16 November 2011 - A partnership between IT solutions provider Intergen and specialist testing consultancy, Qual IT Solutions, aims to increase the amount of independent software testing undertaken by New Zealand organisations. The partnership will make it easier for clients to embed testing best practices into their projects and incorporate more effective and timelier feedback.

"We've always offered testing services to our clients, but our partnership with a specialised testing consultancy demonstrates our ruthless approach to quality assurance," says Wayne Forgesson, Director, Marketing, Intergen. "We work with government clients, large corporates and smaller businesses who demand only the best. Intergen has robust and proven software development and implementation methodologies that allow us to deliver effective and stable solutions. This partnership shows we have the confidence to regularly subject our work to the scrutiny of independent testers and encourage our customers to do the same.

"Software is becoming increasingly complex, and testing can play a role in ensuring all aspects of a solution meet and exceed the needs of organisations."

Testing is often added on to the end of a project as an afterthought, or cut when the project runs over time or budget, but it is an important part of development that shouldn't be overlooked.

Research carried out by Forrester suggests that the cost to fix a defect in production can increase by a factor of up to one hundred times compared to the cost involved if it had been discovered during the requirements capture phase.

"Many organisations treat testing as the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff," says Steve Willsher, Business Development Manager, Qual IT. "The later you find a defect, the harder and more costly it is to fix. It is far better to include testers right from the start of the project briefing."

Many companies that develop software also offer in-house testing, but there are advantages to using an independent tester.

"Testing your own software is like marking your own homework," says Willsher. "Developers and testers often have a different mindset and a different set of skills: developers build things and testers like trying to find where they are broken. That's why having a specialist testing team can be so valuable to a customer."

Qual IT offers the complete range of testing services from functional application testing, through to operational acceptance testing of infrastructure changes, performance testing and test automation.

"With this partnership we can seamlessly integrate testing throughout the development cycle," says Forgesson. "This gives testers a deeper understanding of the customer's requirements to ensure that the software meets them. Customers have access to a wide range of testing skills as and when required to ensure that their software solution delivers when it matters."

The two companies have worked together for over a year on several large scale projects, but have recently formalised their partnership. They will both be exhibiting at the ITEX business technology conference at SkyCity in Auckland on 23 November.

About Intergen

Intergen is New Zealand's leading dedicated Microsoft solutions provider, with more than 300 staff delivering information technology solutions across Australasia and the world. Its key offerings include portals, content and collaboration solutions, web strategy and delivery, user experience design, Microsoft Dynamics financial and relationship management, custom software development, management consulting and hosting services.

ENDS

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