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.