Software Testing strategies utilized by software development organizations within in the Island of Barbados compared to those currently being

used in more developed countries.

The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Barbados BB11000, West Indies

Clifford Sandiford, Joylyn Parris, Melissa Charlery, Phillip Weekes

11/11/2011

Abstract Software testing is an essential part of the software development process by worldwide standards and so Barbados is by no means an exception. It is imperative that testing be done carefully and that the various factors that could possibly influence it are considered. Factors affecting the choice of methodology and tools used for a software project include the nature of project, the project schedule, and resource availability. There are numerous software development companies within Barbados and the aim of this paper is to gather information which gives insight into the way testing is typically done here and conclude whether or not it is on the same level as software testing in more developed countries. Software typically used worldwide often come from the United States of America and Europe and are viewed as being the best. Local companies like Greynotes who developed several accounting products, and Tag Software, the creators of several clinical products were interviewed and this was the main source of primary data collection. The conclusions drawn from this research paper should provide useful information to Software development companies within Barbados. 1 Introduction 1.1 Overview 2 Purpose of the Study and Research The purpose of this study and research was to critically analyze and determine whether or not the software development process in small countries such as Barbados can stand up next to more developed countries like the USA, in terms of the latest development methods and techniques. Are Barbadian software development companies creating products that are to the worldwide standard of quality expected from such companies? Or is Barbados behind times because of its size and limited resources? 4 The Methodology 4.2 The Participants During this particular development companies study, two software were chosen to be

interviewed; TAG Software Inc.

Software

and

Grey-Notes

Upon interviewing, Garfield A. Griffith BSc., MSc

of TAG Software had this to say on their testing process. There is a TEST environment/database

for ALL of our applications and each new feature, as well as existing features are tested whenever there are changes made to any module. Testing scripts are used to simulate and evaluate known and common scenarios. Where possible, each module is tested for functionality and once integrated into the system, more testing is done for its impact on other subsystems. This is usually a time consuming effort and may take from 1 week to 3 months. TAG Software values the feedback from the end-users and hence will always invite one or two super end-users who are very familiar with the software to test and evaluate the new features. This feedback from a different and important perspective is very valuable in the testing process. Of course, this is separate and distinct from the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) that is done in-house by some of our major clients. TAG Software certainly does not have the resources as some software companies in North America but I am confident that its products can compete with similar products developed in the US and Canada. There are some business houses in the Caribbean that benefit from the integration of one of our major products with a retail system that was developed in Canada by a small software company similar to TAG Software. Perhaps its you may wish to seek the opinion of one of these end-users, but I have no reason to believe the quality of the retail system is superior to the quality of our software.
4.3 The limitations of the study Due to the lack of software companies in Barbados, there are little to no companies that test and implement software. We as a group were lucky to come across one or two software companies that fall under the above criteria.

5 Results and Discussion Q) Can you please indicate the problems with software development industry in Barbados? And what impact this has on your company? A) The perception that software produced elsewhere is more worthy of the fees charged Q) Do you feel there is a market for personalize products or do most customers prefer shelf products? A) Yes, because customers realize modification is needed in off-the-shelf products to meet ALL their requirements. Q) In your opinion, what criteria do most companies make when deciding where to purchase software products. 1. Licence fees 2. Level of Software Support being offered 3. Ability to integrate with existing systems Q) Is the lack of matrix in the requirement stage a significant reason for quality software? A) While proper requirement analysis contributes to the quality of software, it is certainly not the major factor. The design and development phases are more significant in the quality of software being delivered. Poorly designed software will always trump the best of requirement analysis! Q) What matrix does your firm use for the requirement stage? A) A simple project matrix where the problem is broken down into several components. The necessary resources and work schedules are then determined. Q) Do you feel the software development industry is growing in Barbados? A) Cannot comment on the growth but I can say more people are becoming aware of Intellectual Property issues and that is a good thing.

7 Conclusions 8 References

6 Opportunities and Challenges 6.1 Opportunities 6.2 Challenges Challenges faced were the ability to receive a response from head staff at Grey-notes. Messages were sent via e-mail, and the group is still awaiting a reply.