The futureup closeWORLD QUALITY REPORT
15th Edition 2023-24

SOUTHERN EUROPE
Waiting for the ‘Carpe Diem’ moment
Last year’s Atomico report revealed that Europe ranked
second globally when it came to early-stage investmentsin the tech space. Interestingly, this growth has not been
distributed evenly across the continent.
Southern Europe has had a particularly tough time matching
the pace of technological developments compared toother parts of Europe, and this trickles down to the Quality
Engineering (QE) trends as well.
Last year’s World Quality Report (WQR) showcased how
Southern Europe was slowly adopting Agile, Automation,and embracing the changing testing environments ina post-COVID world.
This year, we continue to see an increased focus onenterprise-level integration of these technologies and arenewed interest in overcoming skill gaps through strategic
upskilling and leveraging new ways of operating.

New ways of working
The adoption of Agile and DevOps practices is becoming
increasingly entrenched, not just in prototype projects but
also in large-scale endeavours, especially in Italy.
Organizations are also experimenting with various structuresof testing teams to find a balance. Some organizations havemaintained independent testing departments, while others
have integrated Quality Assurance within development
teams. There is a trend of cross-functional teams that can1

support multiple projects across domains, fostering diversity
and expertise. Some are using a hybrid approach of working
with local and remote teams to access varied expertise andbring unique global perspectives to the table.
But navigating through these varying structures might also
create its own challenges because finding the right mix
and ensuring effective collaboration can be a complex task.
Though, Southern Europe seems to be thriving using thisapproach for quality and testing.
The Southern European market is now viewing quality andtesting from both “Shift Left” and “Shift Right” lenses. While
the former involves early testing to prevent defects in thesoftware development process, the latter focuses on postrelease testing, user feedback, and real-world scenarios, bothof which improve the overall user experience.

Fine balance of old and newIn addition to this cultural shift in how quality and QE areperceived within organizations, we are witnessing theconsolidation of useful technologies, particularly in areas
such as web development, metaverse, cloud computing,and artificial intelligence to create intelligent andinterconnected ecosystems.
This is also reshaping the way software is developed andtested, offering new opportunities for innovation.
Gen AI (Generative Artificial Intelligence), for instance, is being
used to reduce manual labour, provide synthesis capabilities
that are generally beyond human capabilities, and provide
seamless and continuous integration of data and deploymentpipelines. We see similar trends for automation too – likeAI, Automation is being used as a tool to collaborate anddecrease the errors throughout product lifecycles.
But the growing reliance on technology is not completely freeof problems. Issues related to the need for high-quality

training data and interpretability of AI-generated test cases
persist. Along with that, the adoption of technologies like
AI, Cloud Computing and Reliability Engineering has a direct
influence on test environments and test data management,challenging organizations to adapt efficiently.
Another concern in Southern Europe’s Quality Engineering(QE) ecosystem is the uneven allocation of resources.
Companies often struggle to find professionals with theright competencies, especially those who can bridge the gap
between development and testing or possess expertise inemerging fields like Cloud Computing. We have seen similar
trends in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, especiallyin Spain, where many organizations want to strategically
prepare for SAP 4/Hana migrations, but are unable to findindividuals with the requisite skills and capabilities to matchthe demand.

sustainability are now being considered as a function that QE
can enable. In Southern Europe, organizations are committing
to sustainability initiatives, emphasizing recycling, reducing
carbon footprints, and promoting a positive social impact,and QEs are playing a key role in ensuring that IT solutionsalign with these sustainability goals.
We see QE gradually getting the attention it deserves inSouthern Europe, despite the slow pace of this transition.
Dare we say — we might even witness it taking the centrestage in the next few editions of the WQR, if we continue togo this way!

Survey Watch

Adapting to the constant changes in the market requires
continuous learning and professional development, which canbe challenging for both individuals and organizations.
This is perhaps why IT in Southern Europe still operates
with caution and practices moderation. Here, the preferredapproach is to scale and improve on existing technologies,
equip, and train professionals rather than jumping onto latest
trends for the trends’ sake. More and more companies areinvesting in training and upskilling their employees to bridge
the competency gap.

The future of QE
The role of quality engineers and testers is evolving rapidly.
They are now expected to possess a broader skill set,including the ability to create automated scripts, explore
various testing techniques, and leverage new methodologies
like metamorphic testing and visual testing.
The scope of QE has widened to accommodate the growing
demands of the market. Even big-picture subjects like

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Jose Luis Anton
Vice President, MU Head, Sogeti Spain
Giancarlo Tomasig
Managing Consultant, Capgemini Italy

40%

Organizations cite ‘lack of privacy’
as a roadblock to utilization of AI

44%

Organizations responded that theywould consider sustainability as apriority to QE&T in the future

67%

Organizations have adopted QE

82%

Organizations support Agile projects
through a traditional Testing Centerof Excellence

Contact OpenText
If you desire more information about testing tools,
please contact:
Monica Garcia Manzanares
Global Campaign Manager, OpenText
mgarciamanza@opentext.com

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