Some governments are rowing back on ESG commitments, while others are doubling down. So has Sustainable IT lost its place, or is it still a priority in Quality Assurance?
Here’s my view. The language may shift, but the problem has not. The real issue in QA is waste.
- Duplicate environments left running when not needed
- Oversized datasets copied again and again
- Long test cycles that add little real insight
This waste burns money, slows delivery, and consumes energy unnecessarily.
Sustainable IT in QA solves these problems directly. Whether the board calls it sustainability, efficiency, or resilience, the benefits are the same:
- Lower run costs
- Faster, leaner test cycles
- Reduced delivery risk
- Credibility with clients, auditors, and boards
At TSG we have already helped organisations tackle these issues. One client running multiple environments 24/7 with overnight regression saw costs fall by a third and cycle times cut from twelve hours to less than a working day.
For me, this is not about ESG slogans. It is about showing control, value, and readiness.
I’d be interested to hear your view. Is Sustainable IT still on your organisation’s agenda, or has the conversation shifted to cost and resilience?
Sustainable IT in QA: still a priority, or replaced by cost and efficiency?
The question
Sustainability is no longer the guaranteed boardroom headline it once was. Some governments are rowing back on ESG commitments, while others are doubling down. So where does that leave QA? Has Sustainable IT slipped down the agenda, or does it remain critical?
The answer
It still matters. The real issue in QA is not politics, it is waste. Many QA functions continue to run duplicate environments, store bloated datasets, and execute long test cycles that add little insight. The result is money wasted, delivery slowed, and unnecessary energy consumption. Sustainable IT in QA tackles these problems directly. Whether your board frames it as sustainability, efficiency, or resilience, the actions and benefits are the same.
What the agenda shift means
Global politics may set the tone, but it is organisations that decide what reaches the boardroom.
In some, sustainability remains a clear board priority with targets and reporting firmly in place. In others, the language has shifted. Cost control, resilience, and delivery speed are the focus, with sustainability referenced less directly.
For QA leaders, the outcome is the same. Whether the driver is labelled efficiency or sustainability, the behaviours that deliver value are identical: reduce waste, shorten cycles, and provide evidence of control.
Practical benefits
- Lower costs by shutting down idle environments and trimming unnecessary test runs
- Faster delivery through leaner, more focused test suites
- Reduced risk by cutting rework and avoiding late-cycle surprises
- Credibility with clients, auditors, and boards who increasingly ask how IT is managed responsibly
What sustainable QA looks like
Environments
Consolidate where possible. Use on-demand environments that switch off when idle. Idle hours should be treated as avoidable waste.
Test data
Use smaller, masked or synthetic datasets. Expire data before it grows unchecked.
Automation
Remove duplicate checks. Park unstable tests until fixed. Prioritise test effort by business risk so effort is applied where it adds value.
Measurement
Track two simple indicators:
- Environment hours in use versus idle
- Average test execution time per successful run
These are simple to report, easy to trend, and point directly to waste or improvement.
Getting started
If you want to take a practical first step, here is a straightforward approach:
- Begin by measuring usage. Record when environments are active and how long test runs actually take.
- Next, tackle obvious waste. Retire old scripts, merge duplicates, and fix or park unstable tests.
- Then put control in place. Automate environment start and stop, and set clear timeouts.
- Finally, add two simple measures to your QA report and set a sensible next-quarter target.
Closing thought
Sustainable IT is not a passing trend. The language may shift with politics, but the underlying benefits of cost savings, efficiency, and resilience stay constant. For QA leaders, this is less about ESG slogans and more about proving control, value, and readiness.
At TSG we have already helped organisations facing these challenges. For example, we worked with a financial services client who was running multiple environments 24/7 with overnight regression cycles. By introducing timed shutdowns and streamlining their test approach, they cut costs by a third and reduced regression from twelve hours to less than a working day.
If your organisation is wrestling with similar issues, let’s talk. I would be interested to hear how your agenda has shifted, and I can share how TSG has helped other organisations cut waste, improve delivery, and bring sustainability back into QA in a practical way.