Winners MSTB "Software Test Design" Competition announced

Kuala Lumpur, 15 September, 2014 – The Malaysian Software Testing Board (MSTB) today announces the winners of its inaugural Software Test Design Competition. Team 'Komodo Dragon' from Penang wins the Open Category while Team 'Infinity' from Kuala Lumpur wins the University Category. The winners walk away with prize money of RM10,000 and RM5,000 respectively.

Team 'Komodo Dragon' comprises five employees from a Penang-based electronics multinational corporation while Team 'Infinity' consists of three final-year students and a supervising lecturer from private university. The prize-giving ceremony was held during the closing ceremony of SOFTEC 2014, the 7th annual conference on software testing organised by MSTB.

A total of five teams were in the Final Round, which was held on Tuesday (September 9, 2014). The other finalists were Team 'IDS' from Sarawak, Team 'FTP' from Selangor and Team 'Synergistic' from Kuala Lumpur. The five were shortlisted from 17 teams which went through the Preliminary Round held in August.

The Judging Panel for the Final Round was headed by Dr. Yasuharu Nishi, Assistant Professor of the Department of Informatics at University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo. Other members of the panel were seasoned test professionals from the USA, Dr Mark Kiemele and Steven 'Doc' List; and Professor Dato' Dr Aziz Deraman from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).

Modelled after a similar event held annually in Japan, the Test Design Competition attracted 32 teams comprising a total of 110 individuals - 24 teams in the Open Category and 8 teams in the University Category from around the country.

Themed Testing IT Right!, the competition required participants to come up with effective and efficient Test Design methods for a Test Object, which came in the form of product specifications for a sophisticated electronic kettle designed by Japan's Society of Embedded Software Skill Acquisition for Managers and Engineers (SESSAME).

“We are pleased to know that the competition attracted so many testers and budding testers. The response was definitely greater than what we had hoped for," says MSTB President Mastura Abu Samah.

She explains that the competition has been organised with multiple objectives including increasing awareness on Software Quality Assurance (SQA) practices among organisations and individuals. Other objectives are to give industry recognition to testing skills excellence; increase visibility of software test professional practices in Malaysia; promote software tester as a viable career option; and to encourage constructive interaction among member of Malaysia's software testing fraternity.

Mastura adds that the competition provides a platform for software test professionals to demonstrate their skills and creativity in software testing. For the students, the competition gives them the exposure to the level of skills expected by the industry which they would learn from this experience and prepare themselves better for their entry to the working world.

"We are hope that the competition will contribute towards the establishment of a Community of Practice (CoP) for software testing community in Malaysia where members willingly share their experiences and learn from each other.

"The competition also puts software testing and its professionals into the limelight that will help to enhance the awareness on the importance of software testing and spur interest among students as well as professionals in other fields to take up software testing as a career option."

Software testing services is a fast growing segment of the global ICT industry and Malaysia has a good chance to capitalise on this opportunity. A study on software testing market, commissioned by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in 2013 revealed that Malaysia's Total Addressable Market (TAM ) for software testing services was worth about US$26 billion in 2012, rising to US$70 billion by 2020.

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About MSTB

The Malaysian Software Testing Board (MSTB) is an industry-driven national body which represents the industry’s interests in software quality assurance and promotion of software testing as a profession. As an entity, MSTB is established as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) under the Malaysian Law.

MSTB is a member of the International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) and an exclusive partner of the International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB) in Malaysia. As a member of the ISTQB, MSTB provides the leadership and administers ISTQB accreditation process and certification in Malaysia. Similarly, the Board exclusively administers IREB certification scheme in Malaysia.

MSTB is also a member of the Asian Software Quality Network (ASQN), an industry-led informal grouping led by Japan with a common objective of promoting software quality practices across the region.

For more information, visit www.mstb.org

Media Contact:

Maheswari Ganga

PiPR Consultancy Sdn Bhd

03-77241710/016-6604254

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