Does Your Organization Really Need Software Testers?

For some reason, organizations like to question the validity of software testing. They wonder if it’s an expense that can be minimized, if it’s really that important and why they actually need it. Some even go so far as to contemplate if they truly require software testers.

Well, the short answer is yes. Yes, organizations absolutely need software testers. The fact that we have to argue as to why they’re needed is quite perplexing. Yet, here we are.

Without healthy debates, though, how would we ever learn? So, without going into technicalities, let’s indulge this argument for a minute and discuss why organizations would be so lucky to have a highly skilled team of software testers.

For any software product, testing is an outright must. Knowing this, it would seem obvious that having a team of professional software testers is the way to go. Yet, this is continuously debated. Some organizations, for instance, believe they can simply leave their developers in charge of testing the product.

Okay, sure, developers are very talented and knowledgeable people, but they shouldn’t be in charge of testing. This is not the way to utilize their resources and skills. Besides, imagine how difficult it is to find errors in your own work. Here, you’ve spent countless hours writing and developing the program, and now you’re being asked to find mistakes.

Well, I don’t know about you, but it’s generally pretty difficult to find flaws in your own work. Though we try to remain unbiased, it’s only human nature. Thus, it’s easy to skim past errors. While this is understandable, it’s not exactly something you want your organization to risk.

Customers have high expectations and they expect your to product to live up to them. Allowing for any potential upset is a good way to lose a portion of your customer base. Having software testers on hand to focus solely on finding bugs in the program is the best way to reduce the chances of losing your loyal customers. It is the most neutral way to test your product and receive unbiased results.

Another reason the role of a software tester is a necessity for your organization is because developing is about creating, but testing is about the opposite. Whereas developers want to ensure the program is performing the way it was intended to, software testers work to find faults in the program.

Of course, making sure the program performs the way it’s supposed to, is important. However, it is almost more critical to find faults and pinpoint where the program is not performing to expectations and requirements. It’s also equally essential that this is done throughout each phase of the software development life cycle. Without knowing this information and testing through the project, your organization could risk going over budget. After all, fixing defects early in the software development life cycle is substantially less costly than finding those bugs at release.

There are a myriad of reasons as to why software testers play a vital role in your organization, but these are just some of the few to keep in mind. Testers add value to software projects and their participation in the software development life cycle is non-negotiable. When it doubt, know that it is always infinitely better to have a tester a part of your organization than to not have them at all.