To guarantee the success of the software, it is necessary not only to develop the product but also to thoroughly test it for bugs before release. Since software testing is expensive, not every company can afford to hire several QA engineers. In case, there are no testers on staff or their skills are insufficient to examine a program or application, finding a reliable QA outsourcing vendor can be a solution.
Outsourcing the testing process to a third-party company can be very helpful when you need to test software but don’t have enough resources to handle it yourself. Furthermore, this method is quick and cost-effective. Below, you will learn more about the main advantages of outsourcing and the factors you should pay attention to when looking for a vendor for cooperation.
Situations When to Outsource Testing
You do not need to have any prerequisites to resort to outsourcing. If this approach can guarantee you a better test result for less money, then it is completely suitable for you.
You can transfer the testing stage to a third-party company in whole or in part. You can assign it to test the entire product to speed up the release, or just one of its complex parts that is difficult for internal testers to cope with. Most often, companies resort to outsourcing testing when:
- They have limited time to release software.
- They do not have their own QA team who can test the product.
- On-staff testers have less experience or knowledge to perform quality testing of a program or application.
Whatever the reason for looking for a vendor is, you should approach the issue with all responsibility.
How to Choose the Best Vendor
When entrusting testing to a third company, you can rely on your intuition or the advice of colleagues. However, you also need to analyze a number of factors before making a final decision. Here’s a comprehensive guide to terms to consider when looking for a QA outsourcing vendor.
List of Services Provided
A professional company should conduct all types of testing and have enough physical devices to qualitatively test the software for its compatibility with various gadgets. In addition, the vendor should offer to examine the product through both manual and automated approaches.
QA Engineers’ Experience and Level of Training
Each team tester should have enough knowledge and experience to handle testing your product. If your software is highly specialized, you should ask whether the vendor can guarantee you its quality testing taking into account the specifics.
Company’s Reputation
You should definitely choose a supplier who is trusted by large and well-known companies and who has numerous positive reviews. If the company’s reputation is questionable, you should refuse to cooperate.
Cost of Testing
In most cases, the cost of outsourcing testing is cheaper than hiring in-house testers. However, cost should not be the primary factor. Keep in mind that a professional vendor may be adequate as they have a sufficient list of technical and cloud tools, test cases, and skills to perform quality software testing.
Flexibility of the Cooperation Terms
In case you need to quickly scale the project and pass to outsource testing https://testfort.com/qa-outsourcing, the vendor should be ready to adapt to new conditions. If the outsourcing company offers flexible working conditions, it means that testers will be able to respond to new needs at any time.
Main Advantages of the Approach
Outsourcing testing has many benefits. Their list includes the following:
- Ease of management and organization of work processes. You don’t need to control the testing process yourself. As a result, it will save you time.
- Ability to quickly scale the project. With an outsourcing company, you can easily increase the volume of testing or attract new specialists.
- Release acceleration. In most cases, outsourcing testing takes less time, so you can release software faster.
- Cost reduction. To attract a team of professional testers, you need to prepare the premises, allocate funds for labor costs, etc. Outsourcing requires less investment.
- Possibility of attracting specialized testers. If you cannot find a narrow-specialized QA engineer on staff or even in the region, outsourcing can easily solve this problem.
