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Assessing the maturity of software testing services using CMMI-SVC: An industrial case study

Context: While many companies conduct their software testing activities in-house, many other companies outsource their software testing needs to other firms who act as software testing service providers. As a result, Testing as a Service (TaaS) has emerged as a strong service industry in the last several decades. In the context of software testing services, there could be various challenges (e.g., during the planning and service delivery phases) and, as a result, the quality of testing services is not always as expected. Objective: It is important, for both providers and also customers of testing services, to assess the quality and maturity of test services and subsequently improve them. Method: Motivated by a real industrial need in the context of several testing service providers, to assess the maturity of their software testing services, we chose the existing CMMI for Services maturity model (CMMI-SVC), and conducted a case study using it in the context of two Turkish testing service providers. Results: The case-study results show that maturity appraisal of testing services using CMMI-SVC was helpful for both companies and their test management teams by enabling them objectively assess the maturity of their testing services and also by pinpointing potential improvement areas. Conclusion: We empirically observed that, after some minor customization, CMMI-SVC is indeed a suitable model for maturity appraisal of testing services.