Quality assurance (QA) testing is a vital process your product must undergo before reaching the market. It could mean the difference between your product and even your company’s success and failure. Some businesses place less emphasis on QA testing or put it under the purview of non-specialists, such as the software engineers who developed the product.
But others recognize its importance and have a dedicated team perform rigorous testing. While many have in-house professionals in this role, others are employing outsourced QA testing services. Are you thinking about using teams outside of your organization for this critical process? Before outsourcing QA testing, here’s what you should consider.
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Why You’re Outsourcing To Qa Companies In The First Place
There are many reasons why businesses turn to QA companies for their testing. Perhaps they don’t have in-house testers with the required expertise and need help with a particularly intricate project.
Or maybe they’re looking for an outside perspective, testers who weren’t involved with the product’s development and can assess it in an unbiased way. Whatever your motivation, make sure you identify it before searching for a partner — this will help you pinpoint the criteria you should assess in your software QA services.
And what if you don’t want to delegate the testing services to a third-party vendor? You can hire an offshore QA team that will work for you directly. Each software tester from your offshore QA team reports directly to you and is fully dedicated to your product.
Type Of Testing That Requires Outsourcing
To choose the best QA outsourcing provider, you need to understand some of the concepts used in the field. After all, it’s essential to know what you need and are ultimately going to be paying for. You probably know what type of product you want to test, such as a mobile app.
But what kinds of testing do you need? For example, end-to-end testing involves assessing how a product performs from beginning to end. Functional testing ensures that the requirements of the product are met.
You’ll likely need several types to evaluate usability, performance, security, and other attributes. Be sure to check which types of testing you’ll need, and if you aren’t familiar with them, take the time to learn the available options.
Cost And Your Budget
You’ll need to allocate a budget for outsourced QA testing services. Do some research to determine the going rates before you start looking for a specific provider. Of course, you want to stay within your budget, but don’t automatically jump at the cheapest option. An ultra-low price tag is probably an indicator of low quality or inexperience. Remember, too, that you’re possibly saving money overall by outsourcing services rather than hiring a full-time team.
Location
There are pros and cons to onshore, nearshore, and offshore QA testing outsourcing. For example, offshore services are generally the cheapest option, but you may encounter obstacles due to language and cultural barriers.
Onshore is usually the most expensive, although you’ll be in the closest geographic proximity to one another. Nearshore QA companies will be a bit further away but in a similar time zone and are usually cost-effective solutions.
Determine your priorities. For example, if being able to meet your provider face to face is essential, onshore is probably your best option, although this may also be doable with a nearshore provider, too.
Portfolio, Reputation, And Expertise
You’ll need to do some research to find the best partner for your needs. It’s essential to consider factors such as the software QA outsourcing companies’ reputation based on client testimonials, a portfolio of their previous work, and their experience.
You should also take note of whether they’ve worked on projects in your industry before. For example, if your business is in Fintech, you’ll want someone who has performed extensive security testing.
Testing Procedures And Processes
You don’t have to be a QA testing professional yourself, but you should still do your homework to understand the different approaches and procedures involved. For instance, how much manual testing does the company do, as opposed to automated? What equipment and personnel do they have in place to perform these tests? What systems do they have for cataloging bugs they uncover?
You should seek outsourced QA testing services with approaches that match the ones you use. If you employ Agile methodologies for development, for instance, you’ll probably want testers who use the same method to ensure that everyone’s on the same page and you can collaborate effectively.
QA testing outsourcing is beneficial for many businesses, but before you decide to go this route, it’s essential to take stock of your needs and what you hope to gain. You should also consider the various factors that will influence your decision and how you’ll ultimately choose a team.
Remember that even if you’re only contracting a company for a single project, you may find that your needs change, so always anticipate forming a longer-term business relationship and choose the best provider to accommodate one.
If you are interested in even more business-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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