Study: Software Quality Takes a Backseat

Speed Over Testing Study: Software Quality Takes a Backseat

2025-05-28 From Sebastian Gerstl | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Two-thirds of companies worldwide will be significantly affected by software failures in the coming year, according to the 2025 Quality Transformation Report by Tricentis. The survey reveals significant discrepancies between the views of technology leaders and professionals—especially regarding the necessity of testing and the use of agent-based AI.

Software quality increasingly suffers from poor communication between software development and quality assurance teams, as well as a lack of coordination between leadership and software development teams. Technology leaders, in particular, hope to bridge the resulting gaps through the use of agent-based AI. Developers, however, are more skeptical of this stance.(Image: freely licensed / Pixabay) — Software quality increasingly suffers from poor communication between software development and quality assurance teams, as well as a lack of coordination between leadership and software development teams. Technology leaders, in particular, hope to bridge the resulting gaps through the use of agent-based AI. Developers, however, are more skeptical of this stance.
(Image: freely licensed / Pixabay)

In many companies, speed is prioritized over quality — with sometimes drastic consequences. The current Quality Transformation Report by Tricentis highlights how deeply organizational shortcomings jeopardize software quality. While new technologies like generative AI are supposed to accelerate development cycles, established principles such as thorough testing fall by the wayside. Worldwide, 63 percent of companies release code changes without fully testing them — in Germany, the number is even an alarming 74 percent.

Notably, there is a lack not only of time but also of coordination. The discrepancies between the executive level and development teams are particularly severe. Lack of communication between quality and development departments (35% in Germany) and inadequate strategic alignment with management (31%) hinder systematic improvement of software quality. When rapid releases are prioritized over clean results, malfunctions are inevitable — resulting in millions in damages.

The pressure to bring new features to market quickly has led to testing procedures being shortened or skipped entirely in many places. This behavior is not only risky but also costly: 41 percent of German companies report losing at least one million US dollars annually due to poor software quality. The financial sector is particularly affected, where software errors often have immediate economic consequences.

There are ways to alleviate this — especially through AI. The report shows a high willingness to outsource monotonous tasks in the development process to AI agents to stabilize quality. However, while executives are sometimes ready to entrust decision-making power over software releases to AI, many development teams remain skeptical. The technological innovation risks failing due to organizational realities.

To counter this trend, more than new tools are needed, the study concludes. Clear quality definitions, binding test standards, and a common language between hierarchical levels are necessary. As long as speed remains the sole goal and quality is seen as a disruptive factor, companies will continue to struggle with unstable software. The responsibility does not lie with individual developers but with the structure of the organization itself. (sg)

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Date: 08.12.2025

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