Software testing: some influencing factors in a South African organisation

Abstract

Organisations rely on software in providing services to its clients and business partners. Due to this reliance, the quality of software contributes to dictating the type of services that some organisations provide, which in return, influence their relationship with clients and partners. For this reason many organisations focus on the quality of software, which makes testing critical. The challenge is that various factors influence the software testing in an organisation. The objective of this study was to examine the factors that influence the software testing and evaluation in an organisation in the automotive industry. The qualitative methods and case study approach were applied in the case. The data were analysed by following the interpretivist approach, which was guided by two theories: actor network theory (ANT) and diffusion of innovation (DOI). Based on the findings from the analysis, a framework was developed, which can guide an understanding of the factors that influence software testing and evaluation in this specific organisation as well as a guide for other organisations.