Demonstrating the Value of Testing: Importance of Choosing the Right Test Metrics

There’s an old saying: “What cannot be measured cannot be managed.” This is especially true in the world of Quality Assurance (QA), where measuring quality is at the heart of everything we do. The QA market, which sits at the intersection of information technology and professional services, focuses on ensuring that products, services, and systems meet the required quality standards. Most organizations today have a Quality Management plan that serves as a roadmap for their QA efforts across projects, and for more than 27 years, PLATO has created and delivered against such plans for clients around the world.

Quality Assurance is a critical part of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)—without it, shipping a quality product simply isn’t possible. Testing activities are carried out by various project team members and directly impact the product’s alignment with business objectives. Gone are the days when testing was an afterthought, done on a tight budget with minimal planning. In today’s digital world, QA is at the core of innovation and has firmly secured its place in every boardroom agenda.

We live in a data-driven world, where every action is tracked to help predict and plan for the future. Whether it’s consumer behaviour, self-driving cars, or even spacecraft reaching Mars, all of these innovations rely on the quality of data. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the importance of data collection and analysis, helping world leaders make informed decisions to keep their countries safe. Similarly, ensuring product quality and predicting future performance relies heavily on data. As the integration of Generative AI (Gen AI) into Software Development continues to grow, measuring software quality is more crucial than ever. Test Metrics play a key role in ensuring that project teams meet quality standards and stay aligned with business objectives.

What Are Test Metrics?

Test Metrics involve the process of Test Monitoring and Test Control, which together help evaluate the effectiveness of QA efforts on a project and ensure that the product meets the required quality standards.

Test Monitoring
The goal of test monitoring is to collect information and provide feedback on test activities. This information, whether gathered manually or automatically, is used to assess the progress of testing and to determine if the exit criteria have been met. In an Agile environment, for example, test monitoring helps ensure that targets such as product risk coverage, requirement coverage, or acceptance criteria are being satisfied.

Test Control
Test control refers to the corrective actions taken based on the information and metrics collected during the test monitoring process. These actions can impact any part of the software lifecycle. Examples of test control actions include:

• Re-prioritizing tests when a risk is identified (e.g. if software delivery is delayed)
• Adjusting the test schedule due to resource constraints or unavailable test environments
• Re-evaluating whether a test item meets entry or exit criteria following rework

Why Test Metrics Matter in Software Quality Assurance

In today’s agile development environment, IT teams are focused on delivering fast, iterative development cycles, where testing happens in shorter “sprints” and based on concise requirements—often delivered as “User Stories.” This approach places less emphasis on extensive documentation and more on quick, iterative feedback.

Regardless of the development approach or the length of the cycle, it’s crucial to measure the quality of testing at both the start and end of each phase. This helps teams quickly identify areas for improvement and address any issues efficiently. Regularly measuring and adjusting key activities in the Test Plan ensures that quality standards are consistently met throughout each development iteration.

Test Metrics are a key part of Test Monitoring and Control. The first step is to collect data, but it’s important to remember that raw data alone doesn’t always tell the full story. To gain meaningful insights, the data needs to be analyzed to understand what’s really happening and why.

Key Metrics for Measuring Testing Success

PLATO believes in Metrics-Driven Engagement (MDE) by monitoring, measuring, and analyzing meaningful data from all the projects and deriving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) for the project and governance teams to review and take required actions for improving the product quality.

PLATO categorizes the Test Metrics into two main levels:

• Operational (at the project level)

• Strategic (at the program/account level)

Choosing the Right Metrics for Project Goals

It’s clear that Test Metrics should be a part of every software development project to maintain and improve quality standards. However, it’s also important to recognize that ensuring software quality comes with a cost. That’s why, when choosing the right metrics to align with project goals, it is imperative to keep in mind the three core principles of project management: Time, Scope, and Cost.

• Time: The project schedule and how long it will take to complete
• Scope: The specific tasks and deliverables needed to achieve the project’s objectives
• Cost: The project budget, or how much money will be spent

A key step in selecting the right Test Metrics is to engage all relevant project stakeholders early on, making sure their input aligns with the organization’s overall goals. This collaborative approach helps ensure that the metrics chosen are practical and aligned with both project needs and business priorities.

Aligning Testing Metrics with Business Objectives

Every software product delivered to the market needs to meet its business objectives. This means that the project leadership team must continuously engage with key business stakeholders to ensure those objectives are always top of mind when selecting the final set of Test Metrics. The metrics chosen should be drawn from the strategic set of Test Metrics discussed earlier in this blog. Additionally, it’s important to review how the quality of the product impacts overall customer satisfaction and revenue.

Test Metrics should be a key component of every organization’s Quality Management plan. A subset of these metrics should be selected for each project based on its scope and timeline to ensure that the cost of quality is carefully considered and not overlooked.

To make the process more manageable, Test Metrics should be collected using test management and automated testing tools. This helps avoid the task becoming too overwhelming for both project and business leadership.

Once the basic Test Metrics are in place, the team should be encouraged to go beyond just measuring process efficiency and automation coverage. Instead, they should assess how Quality Engineering contributes to broader business objectives, such as customer satisfaction, revenue impact, and overall product quality.

To learn more about choosing the right Test Metrics to align with your business objectives, contact PLATO for a consultation.