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Article
The Impact of Software Testing Governance Choices
Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (JOEUC)
  • Colin G Onita, University of Akron Main Campus
  • Xihui Zhang
  • Jasbir S Dhaliwal
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2014
Disciplines
Abstract

Software testing is becoming a critical component of software development, especially because of the proliferation of complex, interconnected, and real-time business applications. As a result, information technology (IT) managers are struggling with pragmatic governance mechanisms for integrating testing with development. Governance issues pertaining to how software testing is organized at strategic, tactical, and operational levels, however, have not received adequate attention in the literature. This study explores the impact of three specific governance mechanisms, including the existence of a distinct corporate testing unit, developers and testers reporting to different executives, and the existence of one-to-one matching between developers and testers, on the organizational integration of testing with development. A national survey of 196 software development and testing professionals was undertaken to investigate the impact of these governance variables on a set of dependent variables comprising organizational, group, and individual outcomes. The results indicate that these governance mechanisms have significant impacts and need to be considered for successful integration of development and testing.

Citation Information
Colin G Onita, Xihui Zhang and Jasbir S Dhaliwal. "The Impact of Software Testing Governance Choices" Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (JOEUC) Vol. 26 Iss. 1 (2014) p. 66 - 85
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/colin_onita/1/