The futureup closeWORLD QUALITY REPORT
15th Edition 2023-24

SWEDEN
Lagom: All in moderation

In the past year, there was a lot of focus on eliminating legacy
systems and modernizing existing ERP (Enterprise ResourcePlanning) platforms. We see this trend continuing. Quality
engineering and testing have come to be integral, ensuring
the reliability and functionality of these new digital solutions.
The change is especially notable in the manufacturing anddefense sectors this year. Sweden is renowned for its strong
presence in the manufacturing sector. Testing methodologies
are being actively integrated within manufacturing
processes to reduce time-to-market and deliver high-quality
end products.

Perhaps, Sweden’s testing and quality engineering (QE)
landscape is the perfect reflection of this philosophy.

Around this period, we saw a fierce campaign to invest morein the defense sector following the Russia-Ukraine war/
escalating global tensions. This has added to the weightage
given to quality engineering and testing, not only in
traditional defense materials but also in various government
agencies that support national defense efforts.

Ikea, Volvo, Spotify, Skype, H&M - this seemingly quiet
country has shaped several iconic brands and championed
revolutionary technologies. However, over the last few years,
it had to weather its share of COVID-19-related challenges likemost other regions.

Supplementary factors such as rising interest rates, inflation,and increasing labor costs have also contributed to anincreased focus on testing efforts. These economic pressures
have forced organizations to optimize processes, including
quality engineering and testing, to maintain cost efficiency.

What was noteworthy though, is how the onset of thepandemic drove transformative tech initiatives in Quality
Engineering and Testing (QE&T) and QE across industries inthis Nordic nation.

While time-to-market, cost optimization, and quality control(in that order) are the drivers to create robust testing
ecosystems, we see more organizations moving towards
Agile and DevOps practices to improve efficiency parallelly.
This includes automating testing processes to streamline
workflows and ensure faster releases.

Trends driving Quality Engineeringand Testing

But while automation in testing is a priority in other regions,Sweden appears to lag in this area. There could be a few
reasons behind this. One possible reason is a decentralized
testing landscape where smaller supporting teams handle

Lagom is a Swedish concept that roughly translates to “justthe right amount” or “balance.” It reflects a cultural emphasis
on moderation and avoiding extremes in all aspects of life.

The general mood in Sweden regarding quality engineeringand testing is traditional but evolving.
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specific aspects of testing, including tools, methods, andlicenses rather than having one centralized team.
As a result of this, testing is owned and conducted byindividual business units. While initiatives to automate testing
exist, they might often depend on the presence of strong/influential individuals within teams who can champion
automation efforts. This dependence, however, could prevent
seamless integrations of end-to-end automation.
Another reason could be the mixed use of open-source
and commercial tools. It might seem that commercial
tools can help integrate better testing infrastructures, but
the latter often requires additional support to maximizeorganizational efficiency.
Increased security regulations and a high dependency on
production data instead of data masking or synthetic data
– especially in critical sectors like energy and government —could also be contributing reasons.

Having said that, we are witnessing market leaders like
Ericsson and Volvo pioneering disruptive trends like ‘Figital
Integrations.’ Integrated technologies such as 5G andconnected vehicles are on the rise. The scope of testing inthis ecosystem is evolving, with a growing recognition of thecomplexities of testing systems that combine software andhardware, as well as end-to-end flows.
Looking ahead, there is anticipation of more transformation
projects entering the ERP space in the coming years,
necessitating readiness in terms of solutions and skills.
We also see sustainability and green engineering as asignificant area of opportunity that needs to be further
explored for QE & T.
Sweden is poised to welcome many changes, but for now,
seeking ‘lagom’ and going slow and steady seems to be theway to go.

What about new tech?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) – twoterms that have been the latest buzzwords in the techlandscape also seem to have received cautious responses inSweden.
Very few clients seem to have explored AI in the testing
space, and we predict organizations will take a few more years
to warm up to these concepts.
We also see organizations grappling with the adoption ofemerging technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, andquantum computing. The historical tendency to embracerecent technologies swiftly has faced challenges due tosecurity regulations and global conflicts. Consequently,
companies have become more cautious about utilizing
concepts like cloud and the metaverse.

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Survey Watch

79%

Respondents said they are using AI
to achieve higher productivity intheir organizations

74%

Organizations are using automation
for risk reduction

52%

Respondents said ‘lack of tools’ holds
back teams when it comesto automation

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Contact OpenText
If you desire more information about testing tools,
please contact:

Magnus Loveman
Quality Engineering & Testing Lead,
Sogeti Sweden

Monica Garcia Manzanares
Global Campaign Manager, OpenText
mgarciamanza@opentext.com

I N A S S OCI AT ION WI T H :2