Tool smiths in off-shored work: socio-technical system of quality testing in India

Today, the consequence of viewing work automation as a face-off between human potential and smart technology denies the role of business acumen, tacit knowledge, market forces and social contexts that shape work environments around the world. Using a socio-technical framework, we examine the consequences arising out of the introduction of automation in the quality testing segment of the IT industry in India. We highlight key socio-economic parameters influencing the decisions to automate a testing environment. Next, by applying an ICTD lens, we analyze the ensuing discourse emerging from the voices of Quality Testers imbuing value into the testing job profile and juxtapose these discourses with current QT work practices. Finally, we highlight the importance of creating better QT work practices in tandem with training strategies that allow IT professionals to draw upon their implicit knowledge, critical thinking, computing skills, and business process knowledge, and combine it with automated QT testing procedures to add more value to QT profession.