Increased software
complexity from
multicore, Web 2.0 and SOA are increasing code problems and driving
up costs for companies that develop both in house and through
third parties like offshore firms according to a new survey from
IDC.
The survey of nearly 150 US companies ranging in size from
250-10,000 employees taken in the second quarter Q2 of 2008, found
that the
increased complexity of software development environments and
the cost of fixing defects in the field (rather than early in the
software life cycle) are combining in “exorbitant ways”. IDC warns
that such costs will drain income and to hamstring businesses as a
result of critical software downtime.
IDC plainly stated that current, typical quality approaches were
woefully inadequate to address code defect costs and issues. The
analyst estimated the cost of fixing software defects at $5.2
million to $22 million annually, depending on organisation
size.
Nearly 70% of firms surveyed said that their code base was more
complex than in last two years and 72% conceded that
debugging was problematic. A quarter found that they found
serious problems in post code review either very often or all the
time. Another 41% said they had experienced these issues to some
extent. Yet respondents calculated that if 100% of defects were
addressed and remediated prior to production, they would experience
32% cost savings.
IDC said that companies must become better educated about the
business consequences and labour costs of poor quality and defects
since inappropriate degrees of optimism mask the need for change.
It advised firms to evaluate automated tools to supplement manual
review along with appropriate process and organisational
approaches.