How Has COVID-19 Disrupted Mobile QA?

From streaming services to IoT, COVID-19 has disrupted every industry around the globe. The mobile QA industry, in particular, has weathered the storm, however. In a recent compilation study regarding the state of DevOps, data shows teams were able to quickly adapt people, systems, and processes for working and collaborating remotely.

“In a survey by Kobiton-Infostretch regarding the global impact of Covid-19 on mobile QA; 44% of respondents believe the first priority of investment should be in the culture embracing what it means to be a remote team.” Source: Autify’s State of DevOps Testing

The greatest challenge mobile QA face is access to devices and the ability to replicate customer bugs. In the same survey, a collective 45% of the respondents expressed that the QA process had been compromised with some impact through a significant impact on their organizations. 

When teams were asked about disruptions to release cycles, 32.5% stated there were some minor disruptions but nothing that has become critical. Though a minority, 10 percent, were starting to see the beginnings of real problems. 

Furthermore, teams are willing to accept a higher tolerance for bugs in the interest of speed. When asked if operational strategies would be changed to combat the crisis, most admitted a shift towards more automated test cases and systems for remote mobile device access was key.

Conclusion

To combat the challenges that COVID-19 presents, most companies plan to make major operational shifts in the following areas:

• Increased number of automated test cases
• Improved systems for remote mobile device access
• Better use of communication & collaboration tools

Yes, COVID-19 has affected mobile QA. However, by investing in and implementing the above areas of concentration- the resilient teams will surface from the fire stronger, faster, and better.

Are you a mobile QA tester? What has your company done to ease the transition in a post-COVID world?

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts regarding how COVID-19 has affected mobile QA in the comments below!

References:

COVID-19: Global Impact on Mobile QA (Kobiton-Infostretch)

30+ Interesting DevOps Testing Stats (Autify)