3 Things to Know Before You Outsource Software Testing

Software testing is an essential part of software development. Despite advances in AI technology, software testing remains crucial. 

This makes choosing the right testing partner that much more important. A competent vendor will help shorten your software’s release cycle and will prevent any bugs from popping up after release.

Here are three of the most crucial things you need to keep in mind when outsourcing a software testing partner.

Location

Geography is a crucial component of your outsourcing model. Do you plan on opting for offshore, onshore, or nearshore? The location of your vendor is important for a number of reasons.

Firstly, with vendors based in another country you’ll have to deal with time-zone differences. This will make it much more difficult to communicate with the team. 

Considering that software projects have significant time constraints, being unable to communicate with the testing team when you need to will slow down the process.

Moreover, if a vendor is based in a country that speaks a different language (such as India) your requirements might not be fully understood. 

This, however, is usually an issue with offshore vendors. Nearshore vendors are situated in regions close to the country the client is based in, so language and cultural barriers aren’t usually an issue.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

An SLA is the contract you sign with a service provider that clearly delineates your expectations, timelines, and project specifications. 

You can also provide specific protocols and guidance drafts to make the testing process smoother. In order to ensure that both you and the vendor are on the same page, it’s crucial that the SLAs are defined upfront.

Here are some of the tasks you can outline in your SLA:

· Project management and reporting timelines

· Quality control measures (defect reporting, test-case efficiency, traceability, and more)

· Process compliance

· Knowledge sharing

· Business expertise

Assessing Risks

In order to assess the risk associated with outsourcing your software tests, ask yourself the following questions:

· What are the chances that the vendor will experience a communication breakdown?

· What is their track record with similar clients?

· What is their style of project management?

· Which technological tools do they use for their testing services? Do they use static code analysis? API penetration tests?

· How financially stable is the company?

· Is it likely that they will lose employees over the period that you work with them?

· In the event that they don’t meet your expectations, how will that affect your project and/or company?

If your company requires professional quality assurance in software testing services, look no further.

EX2 Outcoding is a US-owned nearshore software outsourcing and web development services provider. The company has over 20 years of experience in the business and has established itself as an industry leader.

Their quality assurance services in software testing makes functionality, usability, regressions, and bottleneck prevention top priorities.

Get in touch with them today. Call them at +1 800 974 7219 ext. 202.

How Nearshore Software Development Can Benefit Your Business

The ever-expanding digital and technological landscape has made software development a key feature of how businesses operate. 

But rigorous market demands have compelled US companies to opt for outsourcing when it comes to software development projects. Contrary to popular belief, though, outsourcing isn’t a monolith. There are different models, one of which is nearshoring.

How Nearshoring Is Different from Offshoring and Onshoring

It’s helpful to imagine nearshore software development as a middle ground between onshoring and offshoring. The primary difference being the geographical location’s proximity.

Nearshoring involves outsourcing to vendors and service providers in countries that are located nearby the parent company. 

Offshoring, on the other hand, is outsourcing to countries regardless of the location’s proximity. While onshoring is outsourcing to a vendor within the same country, but outside the company. 

According to Deloitte, nearshore outsourcing serves as a middle ground when it comes to a number of other important business factors as well. This makes it one of the most effective—and safest—types of outsourcing. Here are some of the major benefits of nearshoring.

Shared Time Zone

For many US companies, a 10+ hour time difference poses major challenges when it comes to developing software. It can lead to project delays, lowered employee productivity, reduced business outputs, and can affect business reputation. Clear and efficient communication between teams is the key to successful software development projects. 

Nearshore software development allows businesses to collaborate with teams who share the same (or similar) time zones. Teams can communicate conveniently during normal business hours, and face-to-face meetings are no longer 20+ hour affairs.

Costly to Hire In-House

The idea of having your own software development team is certainly appealing. However, it’s seldom ever practical (or even possible) to have a team that specializes in every kind of project. Certain projects will require software expertise that your in-house team simply does not possess. 

You can either hire more employees or outsource to a service provider. The former is far too costly and time-consuming. Moreover, with employees, you’ll have to pay their salaries, insurance, and other benefits. Then, you will have to manage them, train them, and pay for personal development plans.

Nearshoring your software development will give you immediate access to a core team of trained specialists at lower costs. Compared to offshoring, you’ll be saving on airfare and travel expenses.

Focus on Core Competency

Software development has the potential to drain your resources quickly. Dedicating so much time, energy, and funds on software development detracts from the time you could use to focus on your company’s core competencies. 

Business growth will only be possible if you redirect your focus to the products and services your company provides. 

Nearshore software development allows you to do that. With outsourcing, you’ll free up time and resources to focus on building your company while a team of experts meets all your software needs.

If you need professional Nearshore software outsourcing or IT staff augmentation solutions, get in touch with EX² Outcoding. They are a US-owned Nearshore outsourcing technology provider with 20 years in the business. Call +1 800 974 7219 ext. 202.