Industry-wide survey of QA professionals reveals increased focus on scaling automation, shifting quality further left, and a strategic pivot toward integrated, human-centric quality practices

TestRail, the leading dedicated QA test management platform, today releases the fourth edition of its Software Testing and Quality Report, offering a global snapshot of the evolving landscape of software quality assurance. The 2025 report benchmarks key trends and analyzes responses from thousands of QA professionals worldwide, unveiling how software testers are adapting to modern challenges, leveraging automation tools, and ultimately helping release higher-quality software faster.

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Insights from TestRail's 2025 Software Testing & Quality Report highlight emerging trends in AI adoption, QA priorities, and testing strategies across global teams.

The report examines the current state of QA across three main sections: 1.) QA Processes, Teams, and Benchmarks; 2.) Testing Tools and Technologies; and 3.) QA Responsibilities, Challenges, and Priorities. Aligning with evolving trends and pressures, researchers introduced new questions on compliance and security, artificial intelligence (AI), and the QA job market.

“While headlines champion AI-led testing revolutions, this year’s response reflects a shift toward maturity and realism,” said Amanda Sundara, General Manager at TestRail. “It’s a story of professional development through expanding responsibilities and skillsets, allowing teams to test with greater efficiency, accuracy, and confidence. Despite fears that AI may one day replace human testers, we’ve found it’s actually most effective at freeing up time for human testers to sharpen core capabilities and focus on critical tasks.”

TestRail recorded its highest response from enterprise-level professionals since the report’s inception, and survey respondents were predominantly from mid-to-large-sized organizations—holding specialized roles in QA analysis, engineering, and leadership. The three most common respondent titles were QA/Test Engineer, QA/Test Analyst, and QA/Test Lead, which reflect those who create, execute, and analyze tests daily.

Key Trends and Takeaways

• AI Adoption is Fragmented and Early Stage: While 54% of teams use ChatGPT and 23% use GitHub Copilot, fewer than one-third have integrated AI into core QA workflows, citing low impact and integration complexity.
• Automation Goals Outpace Reality: Teams aim to automate 63% of testing by next year, up from a current average of 40%, yet test breakages, data issues, and skill gaps remain widespread.
• Testing Remains a Human-Centric Practice: Despite the availability of more advanced tools, manual testing remains essential. The majority of respondents reported conducting functional, regression, end-to-end, and smoke testing manually, demonstrating that manual testing continues to fill critical gaps and is evolving alongside automation.
• Shift-Left Gaining Ground: 39% of teams are embedding QA earlier in the SDLC, which correlates strongly with reduced defect leakage and higher satisfaction with quality processes.
• CI/CD Leaders See Results: 86% of teams with strong automation and CI/CD pipelines report faster releases, while 71% report fewer defects in production.
• New Challenges, Same Constraints: End-to-end testing complexity, late-stage QA involvement, and understaffing (reported by 47%) remain top barriers for organizations seeking to scale their quality programs.

“Looking ahead, QA teams are focusing on intelligently answering organizational and customer demand to release higher quality, more cost-efficient software under rapidly shortening timelines,” continued Sundara. “As part of the Sembi portfolio for quality and security, TestRail helps empower QA and DevOps teams to establish new standards for testing and quality. We are proud of our continued dedication to providing leading primary research and actionable insights to our global industry.”

The complete fourth edition of the Software Testing and Quality Report is now available as a free download here.

About TestRail

TestRail is a comprehensive test management platform designed to help QA testing teams efficiently organize, manage, and track their software testing efforts in a single dedicated environment. With an intuitive interface and powerful features, TestRail supports QA engineers, testers, and development teams in delivering high-quality software.

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