OTR-ICT

OTR-Group has designed a service that will test the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) at all levels, to ensure that the total cost of ownership of a quality software product is contained and minimised. For detailed information about OTR-ICT's services, please visit our website www.otr-ict.com. OTR-ICT provides validation services in the following three main areas:

Independent Application Validation

This addresses the basic requirements of the organisation, including functional and integration validation of the software. Functional validation ensures that the application conforms to its specification and performs the defined requirements correctly. OTR-ICT validates the software using structured tests against agreed acceptance criteria. The testing will utilise business scenarios and test cases with full traceability to the underlying business requirements. This testing quality is measured through residual defects and coverage. We will work closely with the customer throughout the testing and will provide comprehensive reporting of all stages in the process.

Specialised Validation

This addresses the requirements to ensure that the software is not only 'fit for purpose' but also has the required quality characteristics. It must be well built and perform in a production environment. These services use automated techniques to provide solutions, such as automated testing, code inspection and performance validation.

Automated Testing ensures that, once defined, all further validation checks and regression tests will be performed, and can be repeated, in the shortest time frame possible.

Code Inspection entails conducting detailed code checks regardless of the code language. Software is analysed to ensure it is well built, conforms to benchmark coding standards and is free of redundant and duplicate code.

Performance Validation ensures that the application performs well in a production environment. Using leading tools, a strategy and validation check will be defined. As an example, performance testing metrics will include:

• Response times

• Transaction throughput rates

• User and transactional capacity at peak load times

This addresses the needs of an organisation to define a Quality Assurance and Software Testing Strategy. It will look at metrics-driven quality improvements throughout the SDLC, and in so doing, will assist with the realisation of early benefits.

OTR-Group’s service offering will use detailed metrics to also provide the customer with:

• Expected defect density at the validation start

• Expected/allowable defect density during production

• Software validation coverage

These metrics will help an organisation to precisely measure the quality of the software being delivered.

Why Use This Service?

OTR-ICT's Validation Service will provide organisations with the right level of qualified resources to find and reduce defects throughout the full SDLC. It will help businesses to manage the risk of their software development project. Information is provided on the testing coverage and the underlying quality of the software using metrics.

The constant detection and correction of defects at each stage will result in a better quality application and will reduce its time to market. The services OTR-Group offers will provide customers with a more stable product faster.
The better the quality of the software, the smoother the implementation process. As a consequence of the stringent test regime, there will also be fewer defects to contend with during the software’s operational lifetime. This results in less disruption of the business and its services to customers. Downtime and maintenance costs will be reduced proportionally together with the ability to deliver a more stable product faster and at a reduced cost.

Earlier payback will be realised and the total cost of ownership will be significantly reduced by investing in this benefits based service.

The process of software development is complex and prone to errors. Defects can occur at any stage in the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and must be dealt with as soon as possible to minimise their effect and contain the later costs of verification.

Many companies do not have the expertise needed to carry out the complex testing required and cannot perform a validation of the SDLC from its strategic conception to its implementation. For this reason, OTR-ICT has introduced a new service that independently validates the quality of software being developed and deployed within the organisation.