import test blog

As reported in a German news article, Europe's largest defence project - the Airbus A400M plane, crashed because of software problems in the control unit of the engines. The crash occurred shortly after taking off, when three of the four plane’s engines lost power after receiving contradictory commands. This prompted five countries to ground their planes.

With global transport systems becoming more and more reliant on tech, the potential risk to life from quality issues becomes enormous. Take for example self driving vehicles, while they offer the potential for enormous social benefits, those benefits need to balanced with protocols that can ensure extremely high levels of safety and redundancy.

Our thoughts are with the men who lost their lives and with their families. Without brave men like these willing to take risks testing, the ease of travel we enjoy today would not be possible.

The recall concerns 625,000 or more cars worldwide, the largest impact in Japan of 340,000 vehicles and at least 109,000 of which are in the United States. And it’s not the first. The Prius was the subject of two other recent recalls, with a staggering 1.9 million recalled in February of last year - also software related.

Toyota has a history of problems when it comes to integrating digital software with mechanical analog technology and its sudden acceleration problem is  legendary in the auto industry. Nevertheless the company has refused to acknowledge that the difficulty is software related, blaming everything from floor mats to sticky accelerators.

While digital technology holds much promise, automotive companies often make the same mistake as software companies, that of turning the customer into a beta tester. Until that problem is solved, modern cars will continue to end up on the side of the road with their hoods up, or worst still cause danger to the car’s occupants,, because of software glitches. Of course, their unfortunate drivers can always wave to the people in the completely analog 1969 VW Beetle, as it goes rolling past.

*Reuters

ExamSoft is one of those unfortunate examples. They were recently fined US$1.5m and incurred another US$600K in legal expenses (US$2.1m in total) for a software glitch which impacted 16,000 bar takers while they were trying to upload their exam responses. The software glitch eventually lead to some bar takers not being able to submit their exam results on time.

At Bugwolf, we assemble teams of experienced digital professionals who compete to test applications who perform tasks like users, or in the above case, bar takers. These teams could have been selected based on their different geographic location in the States where the bar takers were based, extensively testing the submission process.

A real world approach reduces the likelihood of software glitches occurring in high stress and peak situations like these. It also ensures a significantly better experience.

Activities which do not directly contribute to the development lifecycle are either bypassed or eliminated entirely.  This includes such things as unnecessary paperwork, inactivity caused by waiting for results, and even areas of management that don't produce actual value.

Each item in the software development cycle is accomplished and integrated as you go along rather than leaving certain elements to the last minute or putting heavy emphasis on some areas and not on others.

There are other lean methods as well.  The use of clickable user interface mockups enables the collection of user feedback quickly and makes documenting requirements easier and less likely to be changed in the future.

Starting lean also emphasizes a certain pragmatism.  Whether writing code or testing software, the purpose is to reach as high a level of fitness as possible.  The product must be fit for use even if certain requirements, that are not often used, are set aside for later builds, in order to produce a working application in a reasonable amount of time. Components are intended to work well together creating a balanced application.

The different people contributing to the development cycle, whether managers, coders or testers, are dedicated to doing that which makes sense.  This includes not just listening to what users want but testing what users want as much as possible, even if it means offering empty doors that don't really lead anywhere to test the click through rate.  Just make sure that this isn't  done in a way that would upset users.

Where software was once developed from the top down, it is now developed from the bottom up.  A lean development cycle begins and ends with the user.  Whether it is interviewing the users in detail to discover actual requirements or field testing even after the application goes live, starting and staying lean means less cost and faster development and greater customer satisfaction.

One form of documentation that sometimes gets neglected is impact analysis.  A new application doesn't just sit in pristine isolation from all of the software.  It's important to know, or at least have a pretty good idea, how the application under development may impact established software as well as business operations.

Documentation blends into goal setting.  Things such as timescales, budget and functionality must be planned out clearly to enable software development to begin.  The most important goal being to meet the needs of stakeholders within the framework of resources and time.  This is where development can sometimes fail through over-optimism, or goals that range outside of budget constraints.

Managing expectations is an important part of software development. Goals which cannot be attained with the budget and timeframe available, should be renegotiated and additional features may have to be put off to later versions.

Change is inevitable, even with good documentation and goal setting.  So it's important to be flexible.  Changes in stakeholder requirement or changes in resources can cause delays and cost overruns.  The best way to handle these is to keep the development process incremental so that modules can be frequently tested, then assembled and tested again.  This also has the advantage of maintaining good contact with stakeholders as new portions of the application become available for test and comment.

Above all, the best software development practice is to keep all the various individuals and stakeholders in good communication, so that agreement can be maintained.  Without good communication you cannot measure success or cope with problems. You can’t even maintain agreement on the software under development.  

Building the best software requires a well organized team where every subgroup understands what it needs to do and can carry out those actions.

Frequent Subway customers who've been racking up points on their loyalty cards might want to log in and check their point balance. This month, Subcard holders have been taking to social media to report that their accounts are missing hundreds of points that they'd previously earned.

While some customers may not have read the fine print on their Subcards—points do expire if the card has gone unused for more than a year—many customers were complaining that points have been lost or declared irredeemable due to "technical issues."

The Subcard works like many similar loyalty programs. Customers obtain a Subcard and earn points every time they make a purchase at Subway. Points can be redeemed for various free items, ranging from 100 points for a beverage to 1,000 points for a 12-inch sub.

On Twitter, Subway customer Danny Whisky claimed that the Subway branch he went to wouldn't accept his points. "Internet problem they said," he wrote, "yet, they let me collect new points. This seems strange and annoying."

James Fairbank tweeted at Subway to say, "just checked my Subcard and it's removed nearly 300 points, leaving me with 316. Is there a reason for this? Was planning to get my free sub today."

Other customers complained about not being awarded new points with their purchases.

Subway's response has been to insist that there is no problem, despite what Subway workers at branch locations may have been claiming.

"There are currently no technical issues with the Subcard loyalty scheme," a spokesperson for Subway said. "Just to remind our Subcard users that they need to use their Subcard at least once per year, otherwise it will expire and loyalty points will be lost. We sometimes also give our Subcard members bonus points for limited offers which expire after the promotion, so this also may have happened."

It's unclear if Subway is unaware of technical issues that affected specific branch locations or if customers are simply mistaken or misinformed about what happened to the Subcard points they believed they still had. Either way, reactions on social media highlight the importance of maintaining customers' faith in the integrity of loyalty reward schemes, if businesses expect such programs to keep driving sales and generating goodwill.

Last week, SmartCompany revealed the 2018 winners of their Smart50 Awards. As a leading publication for Australian businesses and entrepreneurs, SmartCompany bestows the Smart50 Awards on the fifty fastest-growing small and medium-sized businesses of the year. Ambition, innovation, and a willingness to take risks are just some of the reasons why the following businesses stood out among a crowded field this year to distinguish themselves as Australia’s top up-and-comers.

1. Choice Energy

As a company specialising in energy management services, Choice Energy helps companies reduce their electricity usage and costs—and with energy prices in Australia on the rise, business has been very good for them. In the past year, Choice Energy doubled in size and realized a 631% growth in revenue since 2015.

2. Soar Aviation

In 2013, Soar Aviation’s founder realized that the aviation industry was facing a problem—there just weren’t enough commercial pilots out there. Over the past year, Soar Aviation provided training and accreditation to more than 500 new pilots, offering innovative training programs that use energy-efficient, lower-cost aircraft. Having started from an initial investment of $5,000, Soar Aviation now brings in more than $12.7 million per year.

3. Code Camp

This company may have started out as a hobby, but Code Camp now has a presence in over 150 Australian schools and is starting to expand into international markets. To date, more than 40,000 children have learned coding skills through their programs, and Code Camp is bringing in over $6 million in yearly revenue.

4. BrandLink

BrandLink has been providing logistics solutions with a focus on marketing and software since 2012. After a few lean years, the founders’ persistence and vision paid off: BrandLink now reports nearly $10 million per year in revenue, and have grown 453% over the last three years. This is the second year in a row they have received the Smart50 Award.

5. Car Next Door

Founded in 2012, Car Next Door set out to address the problem of the overabundance of cars and their impact on the environment and society by enabling car owners to rent out their own vehicles. SIx years later, Car Next Door is bringing in more than $3.3 million per year, a 383% increase over last year’s revenue.

Information about the other 45 winners, as well as the category award winners, can be found on SmartCompany’s website.

Building your own software has certain advantages. For one thing, it’s possible to build software that exactly fits your business. Off the shelf software tends to force a business to follow common agreements that may not fit your business model.

It’s also easier to make changes to in house software, as it is proprietary and doesn’t require bringing a provider into the loop who may not have a real understanding of your unique requirements. In house software can be more easily modified to meet changing requirements, as it is already specifically built for your business. That is if you are willing to meet configuration management requirements.

Off the shelf systems usually entail buying a package of several applications that might not integrate well under your specific circumstances. This can create mystery problems that aren’t easy to solve. This is especially true if performing certain actions requires a number of applications to be operating simultaneously and problems can be exacerbated by the need to interact with legacy systems. And you can be sure that you will have to compromise your requirements. The chances of finding a pre-made package that meets all your needs will be slim.

However, building your own software has disadvantages as well. It can be quite expensive, not only in development but in updating to meet changing business needs. It requires a development team of specialists who don’t come cheap and software testing cannot be done by just anyone. Supporting in house built software also requires the continuous presence of a maintenance team that can jump on any problem that comes up. Then there’s the problem of reinventing the wheel. No matter how exotic your software requirements, much of what happens on a daily basis, in any business, can be handled by software that already exists.

The reality is that the question of buy or build depends on what a company's products or services are. The more complex or unique the product or service, the more likely the need to build rather than buy. For example, a company selling electronics online might be able to work with off the shelf software, at least for quite a while. On the other hand, financial services may need to develop much of their own software for security reasons and organizations engaged in scientific research may not find open source software that meets their needs. Ultimately, it comes down to choosing the platform that fits your business needs and that may mean either buying off the shelf or building your own, or a bit of both.

Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note 9 earlier this month, revealing a phablet that shows a lot of similarities to its previous model, the Galaxy Note 8, while boasting substantial hardware upgrades.

It is the latest in a string of new mobile devices to hit the market in 2018 - adding ever-growing complexity to the compatibility requirements of digital teams.

Assuming you're already testing across the Note 8, it might be hard to tell if the new release is likely to have implications for your website or app, so we'll break down the differences between the two.

The Outside

Like the Note 8, the Note 9's size places it somewhere on the spectrum between phone and tablet, but the Note 9 has a slightly larger 6.4-inch screen. The display quality is excellent on both devices, with clear colors and deep blacks.

One change that might take a little getting used to is the fingerprint sensor—it's been moved from alongside the camera sensor to below it.

The Insides

The most significant change in the Note 9 is the processor upgrade. This model features a newer, faster chip. In European markets, the Note 9 will be running on an Exynos 9810 chip; in the United States, it'll be powered by a Snapdragon 845.

The Note 8 uses the previous generations of these chips, and offers a maximum of 6GB of RAM. The Note 9 comes in 6GB and 8GB versions.

While the newer chips are undeniably faster, it's not likely the average user will notice much of a difference—both phablets open and run apps speedily.

One notable hardware difference is the battery. The electrical capacity of the Note 8's battery is 3,300mAh, while the Note 9 has a 4,000mAh battery pack that should enable it to last all day even when subjected to heavy usage.

The Features

The Note 9's S Pen stylus can do a lot more than the basic version included with the Note 8. This newer S Pen is Bluetooth-enabled, which means it can be used to take photos, play music, and click through slides with the touch of a button.

The Note 9 also eliminates the need for a DeX docking station if you want to run your Galaxy environment on a desktop computer. All you need to do now is connect the Note 9 to a computer with a USB-C or HDMI cable and you're good to go.

For its camera, the Note 9 uses the same system as the Galaxy S9+, but with added artificial intelligence enhancements to improve picture quality. The Note 8 doesn't have the same flaw-detecting functionality, but the picture quality of its camera is very nearly as good.

The Bottom Line

While there's no denying the Note 9's features and capability are impressive, it's not a huge leap forward over the Note 8 in terms of design, usability and functionality. 

This release is unlikely to be quite as disruptive as others we've seen in 2018, but we encourage larger digital teams to consider adding it to their device pool. 

If maintaining a suite of the latest devices is not practical for your organisation (and let's face it, it rarely is!), we can help. Bugwolf lets you access a full device lab at a moments notice.

Need help testing compatibility across your website or apps? We'd love to talk.

The first step is knowing what problems you want to solve. Are you looking for more website traffic? Do you want your company’s reputation enhanced or do you want your brand to be more visible? Have a good idea what you need before you go looking for an agency. If you can express your needs clearly you are more likely to receive a realistic quote.

Know your budget and be upfront about it. Remember, you are investing based on return on investment. It’s important to know that an agency can deliver that ROI using the money at hand. This will determine the value of the service delivered based on unit cost. If you know what you want ahead of time, and have done your research, then you should have a good idea what a fair price should be.

Remember that no matter how encouraging the pitch might be, it all comes down to coordination of management in pursuit of goals. So don’t be afraid to ask questions about project tracking, metrics, what tools they use and reporting. A quality agency will be happy to give this information.

Shop around for quotes and take a look at references. Speaking to different agencies and specialists will not only help you get the most for your money, it will also help you refine your approach and modify your requirements. Yes, you should check references, but also speak to the people at the agency under consideration. This will give you a chance to evaluate their skill and ability to deliver on their promises.

Digital technology has changed retail forever.  Companies now need access to skill sets that barely existed only a couple of decades ago. Digital agencies with a strong record of understanding and operating in the digital retail landscape can be a tremendous force multiplier. So ask questions, check references and make sure that any contract contains a clause that enables an early termination if the relationship doesn’t work out.