Exactest

Exactest works on the quality of software, from the strategy behind testing to the people and tools that carry it out. The firm says it designs tailored testing strategies to meet a client's quality objectives, and it looks across the software development lifecycle to find where quality is lost.

Quality audits and process improvement

A quality audit reviews a client's current software development processes. The firm says the audit produces sound recommendations for changes that can be made straight away and for longer-term improvement of the process. The same consultancy work includes designing the testing approach itself, so that the client's tests line up with what the business needs the software to do.

Automated test frameworks and performance testing

The firm builds automated testing frameworks with a wide range of enterprise and open-source tools, following current industry practice. Its performance testing service assesses how a software solution might fall short for end users, with a particular focus on user experience. The firm describes the assessment as comprehensive and effective, and it sets out where the risks lie before a system goes live.

Testing staff and accredited training

The firm runs a resourcing practice for IT professionals with testing experience. It says the candidates it puts forward are highly networked and vetted before they are submitted to clients. It is also an accredited ISTQB software test training provider, running public courses as well as courses tailored to a client's own team. Its course list includes test automation with the open-source Selenium tool and the ISTQB Advanced Test Automation Engineer qualification route, which shows the range of testing skills the firm teaches.

Acceptance testing and vendor oversight

Acceptance testing is one of the firm's more hands-on services. The firm says it provided user acceptance testing through the final, critical stage of a telecoms television service launch in Ireland. In another engagement for an Irish investment manager, it was brought in to set up a test strategy and align a client's suppliers with it, overseeing the vendors' test events and running a business user acceptance test. The firm also supported quality assurance on a web-based sales application used by insurance agents in Japan. Across these projects the firm presents its role as partly quality control and partly advice, challenging how suppliers test their work and improving their approach.