The release back in 2014 of the much anticipated Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus had some consumers in a frenzy. There were stories of consumers waiting in line for over 40 hours in some cities to get their hands on Apple's latest piece of technology. The big question at the time was, was the product worth the effort and the wait?
This was followed by coverage in the media surrounding the iPhone 6 Plus's bendiness when it is under pressure or strain. This is an example of Apple failing to extensively test all the potential uses and facets of the product to ensure its durability.
The same issues are evident in software development. When clients decide to skimp on cost in product development, product testing is generally the first part of the product development process to be left out. Not accounting for testing costs can be crucial to your business's viability. Users are not going to hang around using your company's product if it continually breaks or falls apart when they use it.
Also be aware that often testing takes a back seat because of pressure to deliver a product by a pre-determined date, irrespective of whether the product is ready or not.
Just because a date has been set doesn’t mean you should deliver the product regardless. It is always better to delay a launch and deliver a reliable product than to deliver an unreliable product “on time”.
A launch date shouldn’t be publicised unless you are 99.9% confident of being able to deliver on that date.
The messages in short: always be smart enough to commit to paying for extensive product testing and don't prematurely release new products.