Each time we withdraw money from an ATM, place an order for flowers over the Internet or switch to a new telephone service provider, we are initiating complex processes that involve multiple databases and computer systems linked together and controlled by software. Today, software touches many aspects of our lives and nearly all the operations of a business.

The quality of that software concerns Joe Burns, co-founder and senior vice president of Class I.Q., a Wilmington, Del.-based company that provides tools for incorporating testing into the development of complex software.

"Think of your local telephone company," says Burns, BE '88. "When you place an order for service, different systems are triggered to send you a reply letter, forward the calling cards, activate the service, initiate billing. Making a simple change to the software that controls these procedures--to obtain your e-mail address as part of the order process, for example--requires testing of all the systems to uncover any effects caused by the change. But, to test all the systems manually would take tremendous time and resources. Class I.Q.'s products give the phone company the ability to test automatically at different system integration points as the software is being modified, rather than having to test the entire set of operational systems after the fact."

Long-time interest in quality

Burns has been interested in quality and testing since his undergraduate days at the University, where he earned a business degree with a concentration in operations. "In courses with Prof. Ernie Saniga and others, I first heard about total quality management and controlled testing for quality assurance," he says. "These ideas were just becoming mainstream at the time. One of Prof. Saniga's projects addressed a quality-control problem in food packaging. The problem was being caused by workers making adjustments to the product on the conveyor belt, which resulted in inconsistent product quality down the line. Prof. Saniga's investigation demonstrated the importance of gaining control over processes, and that example has stayed with me over the years."

One of Burns's first jobs after graduation was in information technology, performing on-line certification and testing of ATM machines. "I really struggled with the fact that the systems never worked exactly as they were designed to work and that the software was often full of bugs. What the systems really needed to provide better customer support was built-in quality control."

In his next position--as manager of technical support at MEDecision, a managed health-care software company--Burns became acquainted with object-oriented technology, which at that time (in the early '90s) was relatively new.

"Object-oriented languages such as Java and C++ were giving programmers the ability to reuse code in multiple applications," says Burns. "I envisioned using the new technology to incorporate testing into the software development process as a means of assuring quality." Burns and a few co-workers developed a product they named IQTest, which automated the testing of large-scale application software. Recognizing the potential value of I.Q.Test and Burns's entrepreneurial qualities, MEDecision's CEO, David Sinclair, provided start-up funding, and in 1996, the company Class I.Q. was born.

Marketing to the world

Launching the new business has taken commitment and plenty of hard work on Burns's part.

"I took a no-frills approach to marketing, and in the beginning, I had a lot in common with the old fashioned peddler who took his wares from town to town in a wagon. Our first major successes came in Europe, where quality assurance has been an important part of the manufacturing process for many years, and even software development companies must be certified. Then, our test product was adopted by some of the more progressive companies on the West Coast of the U.S. Today, we sell internationally to customers from California to Luxembourg."

Although targeted at Fortune 1000 companies, Class I.Q.'s expanding product line is appropriate for all types of software-driven operations. For example, the state of New York Criminal Justice Services recently selected I.Q. Test for integration into the state's upgraded software systems, which will include such state-of-the-art technology as hand-print and eye-recognition software.

As the company has grown, Burns and his co-founders have received additional venture backing, including a 1999 investment by the Delaware Innovation Fund. Even with the added capital, Burns is a careful money manager. For several years, Class I.Q. operated out of a basement office, and the facilities are simple and spare. "Being an entrepreneur is not taking a corner office with designer furniture," Burns says. "It means giving customers a real solution that provides a cost savings to them. And, it means working hard, investing in the company and staying with it until you succeed."

Shared values

Burns praises the approach to business taken by his instructors at the University. "I was lucky in choosing the operations concentration," he says. "The faculty gave a real-world perspective of business, bringing their own experience into the classroom. If I hire someone for my business today, I want to see a similar ability to apply personal experience and hard work to the job at hand."

What does the future hold for Joe Burns and Class I.Q.? "We've passed the five-year mark that many start-ups never reach. We've grown to a certain size, and my goal is to take us to the next level, which will require some additional funding. Our products are expanding to cover more technologies and different customers, from Java programmers to QA departments to management. Management is finally starting to believe in the importance of testing--and that is critical. Now is the time for an entrepreneur to persevere."

--Mary Jane Pahls