Those not involved in test and unaware of the complexity entailed believe they have good reason to complain. The refrains are familiar. Those in test suffer many of the same thoughts even though they are aware of the complexities and many of the reasons for the high cost and delays imposed by test.
Test is very expensive and is getting more so as both test equipment costs and test times increase.
Test times have increased as the complexity of new circuit designs and device density require more and more testing to detect possible hidden defects in design and manufacturing. Concerns and complaints, though not falling on deaf ears, are still not being acted upon quickly enough for some. The reasons are myriad, but the essentials are singular. There are, of course, many subdivisions within these three, which are isolated and divided by edict and history. Fab, assembly and test are in most cases divided by management, budget and physical location.