Compuware launches quality assurance product

IT management specialist Compuware has a tool for building more reliable applications

IT management software specialist Compuware today launched a new product designed to enable development teams to produce higher quality, more reliable applications.

Compuware Quality Management will give quality assurance (QA) teams the tools they need to implement and monitor a quality process across the application lifecycle, giving them visibility into the process, according to the firm.

A dashboard feature allows teams to drill down and measure the effectiveness of testing and obtain actionable information to ensure quality goals are met, explained Compuware's Sarah Saltzman.

A Quality Optimiser tool allows QA staff to create "what if" scenarios that balance risk, cost and schedule, enabling them to objectively say if an application is ready to go live, she added.

The suite of tools also comes with data management module so that the right data is run in testing.

"The suite of tools provides a step wise approach so organisations can still focus on software development efforts and at the same time quality in a pragmatic way," said Saltzman. "It's a stepping stone to what we call Quality Governance, which organisations should strive to achieve. "

But Fred George, vice president of IT consultancy ThoughtWorks, cautioned that quality management should not be attempted by an " isolated, dedicated team"

"It should be baked into the actions of each team member," he added. "Lean practices, as well as agile methodologies, exhibit this – quality is a result of faster and faster feedback cycles."