” We are now recognized for our testing solutions. We need to develop a new reputation for our consultancy and training offerings.”
q-leap (quality leap) is concerned every day with the quality of the applications, websites and other IT systems entrusted to us by our customers. To achieve this, a team of software quality experts, including testers, architects and software developers, has been put together. business analysts highlight all the system’s qualitative problems (bugs, performance, security, user experience, etc.) and propose appropriate measures to remedy them. Meet Sylvain Perez, CEO since 2016.
CAN YOU GIVE US SOME CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF Q-LEAP’S ACTIVITIES ?
IT systems are designed by developers who build solutions that meet the functional needs of users. Unfortunately, in many cases, no one has concretely defined the level of quality expected, and the product may fail to meet stringent quality requirements.
Our experts will confront the system with a logic centered on the quality expected by the customer, with criteria such as performance (execution speed), data security, system reaction in the event of a load increase, non-regression, etc. They lead customers to question themselves about the qualitative attributes expected of their system, a question still too rarely asked explicitly.
HOW DID COME INTO BEING?
Q-leap was founded in 2012 by Hubert Schumacher, a multi-entrepreneur in the digital economy. He realized that the testing was the poor relation of the web and new information technologies. He had anticipated the fact that users would soon be over-solicited with proposals, and that they would judge new applications quickly and uncompromisingly. So he started sounding out the market to create a business focused on software testing and quality, whether for applications (mobile and non-mobile), online services, or even internal systems (which don’t necessarily have a user interface, but whose malfunction can have serious consequences).
WAS THE MARKET CONVINCED?
At the time, the quality assurance market was essentially internalized in the IT departments of large companies such as banks or insurance companies, which were mainly concerned with ensuring compliance with functional requirements. For other companies, quality assurance activities were not widespread, covered few qualitative attributes, and problems often arose once the application was deployed and in use. The business got off to a slow start, then in 2013 Luxaviation became our first major customer for a CRM project. They were very satisfied with the quality of our services and entrusted us with all their IT activities. This has led us to extend the notion of quality to all stages of an IT project. We didn’t want to replace other service providers and offer the full range of IT services, but we understood that quality at every stage of an IT project was essential, and was the common thread running through our offering. We then recruited business analysts, specialists in our customers’ sectors of activity, IT architecture experts and project managers who, in addition to their primary skills, are experts in defining and managing software quality. These different skills are necessary to bring a project to a successful conclusion, to make customers aware of the quality issues involved in their applications, and to avoid critical problems before or after deployment.
WHEN DO WE CALL ON YOUR SERVICES? WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS ?
We intervene in a wide variety of cases. Sometimes we’re called in at the very start of a project and integrated into the team; sometimes we’re called in just before the delivery of a solution, when the pressure mounts before the final customer’s verdict. Finally, we are sometimes called in after a deployment, if something goes wrong. Our customers are either end-user companies wishing to control the quality of the IT solutions they purchase or have developed, or companies developing applications. We also have a growing number of startups who need to carefully test their solutions before marketing them, knowing that market sanctions are immediate and merciless. At the moment, our customers tend to be based in Luxembourg, but as our reputation is growing rapidly, we are sometimes approached from further afield.
SINCE 2014, YOU HAVE ORGANIZED THE ANNUAL LUXEMBOURG EVENT. SOFTWARE TESTING EVENT IN OCTOBER. WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE EVENT?
Above all, our aim is to raise awareness of the importance of testing, and to promote the various professions in this sector. The aim is also to bring the testing community together. It’s our biggest marketing event of the year. We bring in researchers, customers for feedback and even competitors, to get a true representation of the state of the art in testing. The first year we had 40 participants, then 60, and last year around 100. We expect even more in 2018.
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE TESTING COMMUNITY. IS IT EASY TO RECRUIT IN THIS BUSINESS ?
No, it’s not easy, all the more so as we aim to recruit only experienced profiles, capable of working immediately independently and integrating quickly with the rest of the team, without any major skills gaps. This leads us to be very selective about the applications we receive. We are constantly on the lookout for new talent, and we multiply our recruitment channels by using our website, co-optation, recruitment forums, social networks… As there is no such thing as an IT tester curriculum, the people we take on come from a wide variety of IT and scientific backgrounds. Analytical skills are an important part of the recruitment process, since we can’t rely on diplomas. A good tester is someone who is curious and meticulous, and who takes pleasure in seeking out and discovering the flaws in a system.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT?
We make the company attractive by paying a fair price for skills and offering a pleasant working environment right in the center of town. Our current premises will enable us to increase our workforce to 50 (35 employees at present, editor’s note). When we have to move, we’ll do everything we can to stay in town. In addition, we are developing a tribal spirit and we place a great deal of value on the professions of the testing, which is not necessarily the case in more generalist or development-oriented companies.
YOUR WORLD SEEMS VERY MASCULINE. ISN’T THE LACK OF FEMALE PROFILES A PROBLEM ?
You’re right to point this out. When testing applications, having a diversity of tester profiles is important to reflect the diversity of users. Also, for certain customers, for example those who wish to personalize the user experience according to their profile, we set up panels specially calibrated for the mission, with a mix of customized profiles. In this case, they are not test professionals, but that’s not a problem, because they don’t have to be involved in technical aspects. For example, they have to follow navigation scenarios on websites, and are observed by a professional who notes the time needed to carry out a particular operation, any anomalies, hesitations, paths used, etc.
YOU ARE PERSONALLY COMMITTED TO THE LUXEMBOURG CLUB CODE. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU ?
Codes Clubs were originally created in England to introduce children to programming. In Luxembourg, they were launched in 2013. There are several clubs in the country. I joined the one in Bertrange in 2014. Every Wednesday, I co-lead a free workshop for children aged 8 to 12. These classes are great fun, with lots of games, animations, 3D printing demonstrations and computer disassembly and reassembly. I do it for passion, like other animators, but it also puts me in direct contact with the process of learning and understanding technologies, which is important for my job.
WHAT ARE YOUR WISHES FOR THE FUTURE OF Q-LEAP?
My priorities are blockchain, the machine learning and connected objects. I’d like us to acquire and offer real expertise in these areas.
Sylvain Perez has lived in Luxembourg for 15 years. He was recruited to q-leap in 2014 to develop the architecture department and was offered the position of CEO at the end of 2015.
