Outsource testing is software testing performed by independent companies: in the following article we will explain 10 points.If you want to transfer this important function to someone else, you need to take care of the following:
1. Be clear about your motives:
You are a client and are thinking that I want to QA outsource some or all of the tests for a specific project.
- Why are you doing this?
- Are you looking for a trusted test partner to do a specific job that you think your company can’t do?
- Do you need to attract additional staff to address any staff shortages you may have?
- Or maybe you need both?
- Maybe you need people with a specific skill set, for example for performance tests or safety tests?
- Maybe you just want to save some money?
Before going to a test partner, understand what your motivations are! Of course, there is nothing
wrong to check what people in the market can do; and this can give you additional ideas and various reasons for outsourcing. But beware of any kind of outsourcing if you don’t understand what your motives are. If you don’t know where you are going, any path will take you there, but the problem is that you may not be happy when you get there.
2. Short or long term relationship:
Another point to consider is the duration of the activity. If the relationship is long-term, you want
to integrate it closely enough and if the relationship is short-term, some of the documentation
requirements can be met.
3. Does your outsourcing partner have the necessary resources?
Different organizations tend to operate in different ways, so before moving on to a suitable
procurement agreement, ask your potential test partner the following basic questions:
- How are defects tracked during testing?
- What tools do you use to detect defects?
- How do you keep track of the time spent on testing?
- How many team members do you have?
4. Match your processes:
Differences in processes can cause serious problems. If not managed properly, they can lead to
huge losses and inefficiencies. When the project gets hot and heavy, there will be no more time to solve them. This will be a particular problem when working off-site.
5. Decide on your testing strategy:
Let’s say you’re using a risk-based analytical testing strategy and your test provider is used to
following a requirements-based testing strategy first. And your requirements process may not be as mature as your other customers. This can create some serious problems because they will require a clear specification of test case requirements. So choosing a test strategy in advance is quintessential.
6. Can you test partner work with Agile?
If you are following an agile methodology and the test provider is more used to working with
customers who follow a sequential cascade or lifecycle, this has the potential to create some
integration issues.
7. Choose a quality-price ratio:
Lower prices don’t always mean lower quality. It is also possible that your potential test partner is using a market penetration strategy. Hence, you should try to find affordable solutions without
compromising on quality.
8. Check out their experience and advice:
To select the best outsource testing partner, carefully study their experience and company profile. Try contacting their previous clients and the links they provided in their proposal. This will give you an idea of their level of expertise and professionals.
9. Cultural Compatibility:
If you outsource your project to someone on the other side of the world, there may be some time zone, language, and culture issues. Therefore, if you need quality assurance outsourcing, try to overcome such cultural barriers.
10. Departure or exit – which is better:
Outsourced QA testing doesn’t always mean that your test project has to be done in someone else’s facility. You can even outsource your tests by running them in your office. If the project has security concerns, on-site testing is the best option.
Conclusion:
Software testing outsourcing is an important part of the software development process, but not all companies are ready to have a staff of quality control engineers. In this case, they use the services of software testing companies or software testing outsourcing teams.
Sandra Parker
I work as Business Developer in TestFort and help enterprises to accelerate their businesses through custom software development and testing. I love coding and managing projects.
