If you have some time to kill and want to learn more about the rise of mobile and how it’s changing companies and their development approaches (particularly in enterprise) go through her archives.
In the meantime, here’s a look at four major changes mobile has forced upon the traditions of software development, as highlighted in Jennifer’s article “‘New Normal’ Emerging as Software Teams Go Mobile.” (I think you, dear readers, will particularly enjoy the third point.)
Mobile demands shorter delivery cycles
Delivery cycles for Web projects range from nine months to 12 months, according to Michael Gilfix, director of enterprise mobile at IBM. “Mobile projects run three to six months,” he said. Independent software consultant Howard Deiner said two months is more like it.
More software updates for mobile projects
“In mobile, you release continually,” [IBM's Gilfix] said. A key reason for continual releases is the constant changes in mobile handsets — not just new devices, but also new versions of the iOS and Android mobile operating systems. “Release managers have to wrap their heads around that,” he said.
1:1 dev-to-tester ratio rules
One tester for every developer on the project is largely the result of the complexities of mobile testing. Quality assurance (QA) pros must take into account the multiple devices, mobile operating systems and versions of those operating systems — as well as connectivity conditions that vary widely, depending on the mobile user’s location, [Ojas Rege, vice president of strategy at MobileIron] noted.
Mobile apps help software teams get serious about security
“Software teams working on Web apps never embraced security wholeheartedly,” [Theresa Lanowitz, Voke Inc. analyst] said. “For 10 years we’ve been having this discussion about who is responsible for application security, and we have not made a lot of headway.” But now, mobile apps are driving the need for security testing. Maybe, finally, we’ll embrace security in the enterprise, and that would be good for the security of all apps, she said.
Sure, the basics are the same as all software testing, but there’s a lot more to consider when it comes to mobile. Companies need to change their approach to development and QA if they want to keep up.
Source: http://www.developer-tech.com/blog-hub/2013/apr/09/how-mobile-is-changing-software-testing/