With software releases gaining momentum than ever before, due to which previous techniques and methods of doing things are not relevant anymore. Speaking about the present digital scenario, businesses are forced to enter the battlefield of competition where they are striving hard to have the edge. To stand ahead in the crowd of the competitors, a business needs a high-quality software which is possible to ensure only with software testing. The following post emphasizes on certain aspects to consider before outsourcing software testing.
Mistakes, unintentional errors, defects are the basic part and parcel of any software development process. In addition to this, developers many times fail to notice shortcomings or bugs while developing and that’s the prime reason for outsourcing quality assurance of software and software testing with the help of a third-party.
Why Outsource?
If you see everything as a whole; outsourcing can bring a plethora of in higher-cost benefits with reduced in-house efforts, access to specialized skills, quick deliverables and tested final products. Technically, outsourcing a software development company, you as a business can focus on your main function and drive innovation. Effectiveness and high-efficiency in work, better product quality, and positive business outcomes are perks of hiring one. Now when you contact an independent team of software testing/QA professionals for performing the testing job, it saves a lot of time and money of the organization regardless of the frequency of testing needs and the scope of the project. Both the business money and hassle can be saved at a time by outsourcing the QA needs to a professional QA team of software testers.
To sum up:
- Reap cost benefits
- Independent QA Reduces in-house efforts
- Increased application quality
- Quick deliverables/ Boosts up efficiency
- Thoroughly-tested final products
Further below I would like you to get acquainted with certain aspects that must be kept into account before chosen and canalizing the software testing company.
#1 Build an engagement modelThis point mainly depends on your business strategy as well as a model; I am talking about selecting the geographic location of your outsourcing partner. Apart from this, you need to decide if you wish to go with total outsourcing or an incremental one. However, both these models require detailed planning. The only difference here is that total outsourcing is all about a single provider who aims to handle all the work, while in incremental outsourcing the work can be divided and outsourced to multiple other service providers.
#2 Industry experienceTesting software for defects or bugs is not an easy task; it takes ample of knowledge and expertise to nail things down. So choose none-other than a team of professionals with high technical skill and technical know-how. Also, ensure that the outsourcing company possesses the proficiency required for the project. Try conducting a background check in prior; just to know that they have carried out a similar project successfully in time past and how the software performs in the software market.
#3 Flexibility and scalabilityOutsourcing software testing and QA services require a lot of flexibility and scalability. So make sure you choose, or you count on someone that has the capability of meeting your flexible and dynamic needs in the given time. For instance, there are software QA and tester gigs that require more or fewer resources especially in term of human expertise to handle the project needs as required. This also means developers should extract a commitment from the outsource QA and testing company that they will be flexible enough to scale up or down their resources as per the requirements of the project.
#4 Intellectual property (IP) protection and securityFor those who are unaware of IP protections; it simply means all your personally identifiable information should be protected. Choosing quality outsourcing partners means you are selecting those who have the potential to protect unauthorized access and misuse. These standards include nondisclosure agreements, IP protection, and employee confidentiality contracts. It may quite interest you to know that your partner will have the ability to “prevent loss or accidental release of data or proprietary functionality.” To put it simply, this means that they should be able to restore all relevant services.
#5 CommunicationMost times, businesses outsource a company that is located outside the country. During such time, long-distance relations usually end up creating a feeling of isolation and exclusion. Hence, it becomes extremely important for both parties to come into an agreement on the best means to communicate with each other leveraging on the plethora of communication platforms available suck as Skype, Slack, etc. Conducting frequent and friendly communication, issues and disagreements can be easily sorted out.
Certain Software Testing Outsourcing Myths
- You are always at riskChoosing a relevant software tester provides a great help in combating this. There is no denying in the fact that today’s top tech talent are notorious job hoppers, I am talking about those who work for even the most popular companies like Facebook, Uber, Google, etc. Remember, there’s ample of talent available across the globe. So, sick leaves or vacations in-house won’t ever slow down your test efforts.
- Working remotely reduces productivityIt is a huge misconception that many of you (those who oppose outsourcing) fear that being in different location reduces productivity while hampering communication. With the help of more and more tools like Skype and Zoom, communications become way better. When you do communicate face-to-face with your tester, the meeting is taken much more seriously where every moment is filled with purpose. It’s actually not true! For effective result, you require having a talented team of capable and experienced remote individuals who are more productive than an in-house team of less qualified individuals especially the ones who require more coaching and training to get up to speed.
- They won’t understand your businessYou might be surprised to know the fact that choosing a third party (the right one) who can gain an understanding of your unique situation can design the best test plan for you. So, choose a company to work within the long-term; it will be well worth the “getting to know you” period. Remember that the outsourcing company’s success is your success. Go for the one which can handle highly sensitive information, as well as help businesses to improve their online shopping experiences. Keep Learning!
