6 Important Tips to Consider Before Outsourcing Testing

Software testing is an integral part of product development that helps detect and fix associated bugs. If not done correctly, it could lead to some critical issues and might even damage the product.

Though organizations may have an in-house team for testing, at times, they usually lack the required skill-set, assets, and may not even have sufficient time to execute the complete testing process effectively. This eventually pushes those organizations to outsource software testing where all the testing-related tasks are performed and handled by a third-party testing firm specialized in QA.

But this again brings its own challenges with it. As you begin your outsourcing search for QA partners, you will encounter numerous vendors claiming to be the best in the business. This is where it gets grueling for the organizations to pick a genuine vendor since everyone tends to promise high-quality QA services. One needs to carefully vet the vendors and see how true they hold to their claims.

Here are some crucial tips to consider when outsourcing software testing or QA services to avoid any sort of inconvenience later.

Also Read: 6 Crucial Tips to Consider When Choosing a Software Development Company

1. Industry Experience

Experience speaks and it counts in every business. Seek vendors who have expertise in multiple domains related to your business needs. Different industries have different business processes, and therefore outsourcing QA testers who do not have the experience of working in your industry will only end up slowing down your testing process. On the other hand, a highly qualified and experienced team who has got an understanding of how your business operates will not only make the process efficient but will help achieve quality results. Experienced QA professionals are also well-aware of the important areas that need to be given the highest priorities during testing.

Experience also matters because you would not have to tell even the smallest of things to the outsourced team. The kind of experience they possess in serving many industries allows them to make productive decisions for their clients, which may be a missing factor in an inexperienced in-house team. While outsourcing QA services from a suitable vendor, it’s a good practice to check their references and portfolios. Successful outsourcing providers respect test documentation and don’t hesitate to share their test artefacts templates.

Read: In-house vs Outsourcing

2. Communication and Transparency

There needs to be a great level of transparency and clear communication between the organization and the outsourced partner. Check if the latter has the capability to quickly respond to any required changes, whether they can work at your pace and communicate information the way you want. Don’t forget to ask whether the work would be assigned to their own employees/team or do they plan to pass it on to a subcontractor. This is a common case that happens in outsourcing work. Although this shouldn’t be an issue as long as the quality is not compromised, make sure it is clearly communicated before you finalize any outsourcing firm. If these sorts of things happen later, it can make both parties uncomfortable.

A lack of communication can result in the outsourcing partner failing to properly understand your product requirements, imprecise bug reports, a slow testing process, and ultimately an unsatisfactory outcome. It is therefore important to have such coordination that helps speed up the testing process and keeps everything intact.

3. Avoid Cheap Services

During your search for software testing vendors, you will come across various offshore firms offering QA services at very economical prices. They come either with poor service quality or hidden costs. One thing to note is that a low rate does not always mean low total cost. You might end up paying more than expected if hidden charges are involved. The same is true when extensive rework is involved- which is a humongous possibility in the case of “economical” QA services.

Avoid making your business a guinea pig to such outsourcing partners. Though there will surely be some firms that are not experienced and hence the low cost, do a background check and see if it is worth going with. Having a small team of excellent testers can be more effective than a large group of untrained professionals.

4. Tools, Trends, and Technologies

Does the outsourcing partner have a technology framework? What best practices do they follow? Be sure to ask what all they can bring into your project. The team should possess strong technical skills. You would want a team that has a proven track record and has merged their years of experience and success ratio into a set of best practices, methodologies, and tool kits. These assets help accelerate quality efforts and minimize time to market. Besides, when you think of outsourcing QA services, pick a partner that follows agile methodologies and knows how it fits with your development methods. If you have an agile development model but the vendor can’t initiate testing until the entire system requirements are met or finalized, there’s a problem.

Additionally, while you outsource software testing, find a partner that is aware of the ongoing and upcoming trends and technologies; someone who can share their experience, help you with what’s currently happening in the industry, propose new ideas, and has the ability to see a project from different angles. Such vendors tend to become long-term partners as they assist you in focusing on the right areas and achieving the output you desire with the right kind of guidance.

5. Understanding the working style

Before you outsource a testing partner, it is important to know about their working style. Ask the team about their approach and how they plan to work on the project. It will reveal a lot about the quality standards they follow in their work process and also the overall quality of the firm. If the plans are up to date and show promising signs, it would speak for itself.

The right outsourcing partner will have answers to all your questions and would not miss out on any opportunity to gain your trust and confidence. You can start by assigning them smaller projects first and then increase the responsibility level as you start to trust them. Put up as many questions as you have in your mind as it will also help them understand your objectives and expectations even better. You might even have confusion deciding to choose between offshore and onshore, but as long as there’s no communication gap between the teams and they are able to coordinate and perform their tasks effectively, the work location shouldn’t matter much.

6. Sign a Service Level Agreement

A Service Level Agreement(SLA) is a contract between the organization and the service provider that lists the obligations and expectations around the related work. Don’t forget to sign a Service Level Agreement with your outsourcing partner. SLA defines the rules, guidelines, time limits for execution time at each level of testing. It segregates the entire collaboration process into manageable sub-parts. At the same time. it protects your organization’s assets and reputation, secures both the parties from data breach and stealing ideas, and serves as a valid legal document in case any disputes arise. SLAs help standardize even highly flexible agile testing.

These are some of the helpful tips on how to outsource QA or software testing. Got any doubts? Tell us in the comment below.

Dew Solutions specializes in QA testing. We have a dedicated team of qualified and experienced testers and have aided multiple industries over the years with our top-notch QA services. Connect with us here.