How QA Helps Keep Up with Procurement Software Trends (2023 Edition)
Each year, every business reads up on articles about industry trends for the upcoming period. While it is important to gather as many insights as possible, knowing how to deal with new realities and tendencies is more valuable. So, let’s enquire into how your project can effectively keep up with 2023 procurement software shifts via QA services.
Cloud Procurement
With the decline of legacy procurement systems, it is no surprise that more and more companies opt for cloud-based solutions. And for brands offering procurement software, this translates into the urgent need to implement such services into their product. With this come specific cloud software challenges. But an expert QA company can efficiently test your product to make sure that it is among the top SaaS procurement choices.
- QA engineers check your system’s ability to handle large volumes of data/users to secure smooth operations and scalability.
- Assess its stability, speed, and responsiveness to ensure dependable performance and no downtime.
- Execute integration, compatibility, and API testing for robust interoperability and portability.
- Investigate core functionality, modules governing data quality, compliance, etc., for superior reliability.
- Examine current security measures, e.g., data encryption, access control, firewalls, to safeguard and enhance cyber security, and more.
Predictive Analytics & Smart Assistants
In today’s business world, the importance of data cannot be overrated. But even high-grade data means nothing if the software cannot fully leverage it. So, to keep up with the need for precise and practical insights, your product’s analytical capabilities must be powerful. And engaging QA services can help make them such.
- QA specialists will verify the accuracy of the algorithm by reviewing a myriad of ‘if-then’ scenarios to establish a sound predictive model.
- Evaluate whether the software can tackle large volumes of information and how it manages big data to ensure stable functioning during heavy traffic.
- Test how well your product integrates with external data sources, e.g., weather portals or economic data platforms, to realize the program’s full predictive potential.
- Help train and perfect AI systems and smart assistants to further fortify data operations, user support, and enable procurement process automation.
- Inspect security and compliance protocols to protect imported data, etc.
Sustainability
The increase in commitment to ESG performance encourages software providers to embed sustainability features into their products. Now, stakeholders see sustainability-driven strategies and tools as business assets. Thus, having such functions in your project is good for the planet and sales. But to gain most from it, you should make use of QA for truly green results.
- Thorough performance testing is crucial for software stability and scalability. As fewer issues in this area mean less energy and resource consumption.
- QA specialists also need to assess how your product employs data from other platforms, e.g., third-party purchase order software.
- Comparison and analysis of the produced outcomes will let your team know how the accuracy can be improved.
- Testing adherence to regulations and standards is critical for legal compliance and trust building.
- Evaluating reporting operations makes sure that presented outputs are accurate and easily decipherable, among others.
Risk Management
Highly fluctuating business realities call for flexible risk management that allows companies to not just stay afloat but prosper. That is why integrating risk management features into procurement software solutions should be coupled with meticulous testing. As, curiously, QA in itself is a part of risk mitigation and prevention.
- QA experts will ‘dissect’ the data collection process in order to secure quality information gathering from various platforms.
- Evaluate the accuracy of data analysis and risk identification to make sure that the software offers relevant conclusions.
- Test control, monitoring, and reporting functions to enhance reliability.
- Carry out UI testing for an intuitive interface that provides data in a user-friendly manner, etc.
Collaboration and Communication
Effective communication between companies and suppliers has proven its value for successful collaboration and quality enhancement. And software that sustains this trend promotes mutually beneficial partnerships. But to create a potent feedback exchange platform, a lot of details are to be considered.
- Integration testing for in-build sub-systems and third-party/procurement management software to achieve insightful data sharing.
- As well as integration with external communication platforms, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams for positive UX.
- Assessment of specific functions, e.g., messaging, file sharing, task management elements, for user convenience and better info distribution.
- Examination of features that support e-sourcing software and other e-procurement solutions.
- Including functionality and usability of digital marketplaces, along with testing search, filtering, ordering features, and integration with external e-commerce gateways.
- Investigation of present security measures, especially access permissions, for data protection and its correct usage, and so on.
Integration with IoT
For procurement, proper integration with IoT brings about higher visibility when it comes to budget, supply, and equipment utilization. And pairing this with analytics can help optimize decision-making regarding expenses and contract management. Thus, for your software to efficiently handle such processes, it is necessary to test:
- Your system’s compatibility with various devices, hardware, programs, OSs, etc., for advanced data import.
- Ability to integrate with a range of IoT devices, such as sensors and RFID tags, to make sure the information can be appropriately deciphered.
- Data analysis procedures to enable advanced analytics, better control, and predictions, etc.
Analytics, Reporting, Quotation
The role of perceptive analytics in procurement is steadily growing, specifically when it comes to financial operations. As rigorous spend analysis lets companies better control, structure, and plan their budgets, your software should have dependable systems in place. For this, it is paramount to:
- Check built-in and integrated document suites to aptly organize information flow.
- Perform functional and UI testing for downloads, emailing, access sharing, etc., for ease of use.
- Inspect the authenticity of calculation processes for features like cleansheets, should-cost analyses, etc.
- Scrutinize reporting and quotation features for optimal outcomes and comprehensible presentation, which is particularly useful for procurement tracking software.
Customization
The ability to personalize the software to specific business needs can set your product apart from the competition. Procurement software tools can be as good as they can get but will rarely be a perfect fit for everyone. Companies will continue to build their own ecosystem of best-of-breed solutions rather than one end-to-end platform because of faster ROI and implementation.
- If you decide to saturate your app with more features, it is essential to test their configurations, e.g., being able to lock, remove, arrange, and save preferred options.
- QA specialists will also spend more time on user interface testing to make sure the configuration process is intuitive, and multiple adjustments/versions are up for picking.
- And, of course, code review and functional testing are needed to prevent any grave issues during customization operations.
Ease of Implementation and Use
A steep learning curve is something most companies try to avoid. Employing extra time and resources for teams to study a software product often encourages dodge maneuvers. Hence, your product should be easy to install and use. The faster it is done, the faster you can achieve your business goals.
- This means extensive acceptance testing to secure optimal UX for all agents involved.
- Collaborating with the spectrum of roles and accesses to understand what each user group needs, thus providing smooth operational flow.
- And focusing on accessibility testing to make sure that every specialist is comfortable working with your app.
Mobile Access
The convenience of mobile access grants prompt reach to business tasks anywhere. Utilization of mobile devices for regular duties and quick reaction to emergency situations is often a preferred alternative. And it can also be a part of risk diversification. So, if you do not have a mobile app version, you should consider implementing a web version at least.
- GUI testing is paramount for mobile devices due to compact sizes and the multitude of possible equipment.
- Related, carrying out extensive compatibility testing promotes active app use on distinct hardware, operating systems, browsers, etc.
- Assessing your software’s connectivity, speed, and stability provides for a reliable and fast-processing product.
- Testing mobile-specific features, such as push notifications, touchscreen actions, battery consumption, etc., is also important for seamless user experiences.
Cyber Security
The significance of cyber security does not require an extensive explanation. Companies want to protect their internal and client data, thus securing business assets. All types of procurement software should prioritize cyber security as a lot of sensitive information is involved. For all-inclusive digital safety, the following should be considered:
- Analyzing present vulnerabilities to identify viable improvement strategies.
- Locating potential weak points to prevent any future issues.
- Employing ethical hacking to see how your software’s weaknesses can be exploited in real-life attack scenarios.
- Educating your teams on cyber hygiene to minimize the human element within cyber security, etc.
Test Automation
Large and complex software systems will eventually require optimizing time and resource expenses on testing. Automation will also help streamline sprint releases and ensure higher stability of new versions of the product. As, in essence, AT is all about efficiency. And to maximize its benefits, you will need a flexible automation framework.
- QA specialists will help you better understand what areas should be automated first, e.g., regression testing, to keep the core functions stable.
- Let you know what is ready to be automated to avoid unnecessary spending on the automation of yet-to-be-unfluctuating features.
- Create exhaustive documentation that can be used for further automation, training and onboarding, as well as upgrading your SDLC.
QA Outsourcing
Outsourcing is on the rise as it allows companies to reduce expenses, focus on critical business areas, decrease development time, and more. For your product, QA outsource, ultimately, translates into better software and teams’ dedication.
- QA companies have all resources and specialists you need at the ready, thus no extra time is spent on locating and evaluating required experts.
- They can promptly find needed knowledge due to already possessing access to international talent pools with preselected candidates.
- Their QA engineers are paired exclusively with your project and business needs, so outsourced teams will function as an authentic part of your divisions.
- QA experts will handle all technical assignments so that your team members remain faithful to their direct duties, hence stay productive.
- They can advance the testing processes, thus speeding up time-to-market and enhancing the quality, just to name a few.
To Sum Up
In the long run, change is always good. It helps us progress by pushing the boundaries of our comfort zone a bit further. So no matter how many new trends each year presents your business with, it is undoubtedly better to adapt and conquer. And QA is one of those things that can help make your project journey smoother and less stressful.