What is QA Outsourcing Services?
Software development projects are quite complex: not only do they require a lot of time and costs, but also human resources. Sometimes companies suffer from low-quality end products because of bugs. Understandably, a single enterprise can’t hold a team of specialists of all possible fields to please the development process at each stage. Thus, the modern world has created outsourcing services to give a helping hand to business-owners and reduce the headache of hiring more and more in-house experts.
Today we are talking about QA outsourcing, what is it, why do you need to delegate such a task and how you can benefit from this experience. You will also learn what qualities an outsourcing team should have and what challenges you can face.
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What is QA Outsourcing?
QA stands for quality assurance. In other words, it’s software testing that is important to identify and bugs at the early stages. In many cases, the task is given to an external independent company or a freelancer who specializes in this sphere.
“But why don’t I teach my software developers to do the job?” – you may ask. Well, of course, you can do that, but it will require a specific skill set and time, which, to be honest, benefits neither the budget nor the product quality. Take as an example a non-computing company – the clothing brand. Do they hire in-house fabric manufacturers or teach their designers to create fabric? Or, perhaps, they seek professional manufacturers somewhere abroad (in Turkey, for instance)? It would be silly to teach a frog to fly, do you agree?
The same thing applies to the QA sphere.
Why Outsourcing Your QA is Good
“Okay, what are the advantages?”
We won’t lie, if we say that the benefits are immense.
Cost Reduction
Setting up the TCOE inside the company involves building new infrastructure, increased test costing and additional team members. Consequently, finding external experts with ready-to-work and reliable technology will save money.
Unbiased approach
Even if your software developers have all the necessary skills to test, they may praise their project and not look at imperfections critically. The team outside, on the contrary, earns money for detecting bugs, so they will be 100% honest. It results in better productivity and quality.
Modern methodologies
QA providers are aware of the latest trends in the industry. They use proven technologies that fit into custom software cases. Various computing branches require an individual approach. So. for example, if you own the medical solution app it’s best to find the corresponding professionals.
QA automation
In the past, many processes were conducted by humans. With the automated testing, it’s possible to continuously integrate, test and deploy. Not everyone has experience with such QA tools.
Code security
QA companies aim to gain a good reputation on the market. Most of them are compliant with the global standards of Intellectual Property, GDPR and ISO.
Faster testing outcomes
Since you aren’t overloading your team with additional tasks but give to someone outside, the time for testing reduces. If the outsourcing company is located in a different time zone, it’s possible to speed up the process as well. Moreover, you can concentrate on core business tasks.
Finding new talents
Cooperation with global QA leaders expands the access to resources abroad, allows finding new partners and gaining recognition somewhere despite the motherland. Skill exchange is beneficial for both sides!
Why Outsource QA To A Professional Software Testing Team
Based on the approximate time and budget of the project, you may choose one of the following outsourcing options:
- Independent testers;
- Testing team.
Each one has pros and cons, and here is an honest review.
Independent testers are freelancers that you can hire for a small software project. Usually, the payment is per hour or project.
Advantages:
- Pay less. Freelancers aren’t tied to a specific company, so their work costs less.
- Expertise in one area. You can find a person with a trusted portfolio and reviews from customers. Freelancers improve themselves within one specific field which is not bad, since they advance their skills and don’t repeat the same mistakes.
- Flexibility. Obviously, it’s easier to communicate with one professional than with the team.
Disadvantages:
- Fraud. Unfortunately, there is a risk of meeting dishonest people online. It’s more difficult to sign proper contracts with a freelancer than with a company.
- Lack of management. Freelancers are independent and may have poor work ethics. Meeting deadlines, structuring the project stages and reporting what has been already done can be a problem.
- Security. In comparison with companies, freelancers don’t care about their reputation that much. At the very beginning of cooperation, make sure to sign non-disclosure agreements.
- Poor quality. We are not trying to say that independent testers can’t be professionals. However, their biggest concerns are the number of tasks and money. So, they may put speed as a priority instead of quality.
- Read more: IT Outsourcing 2020 Overview
QA companies are suitable for bigger in size and duration projects. They have teams that provide you with an end-to-end process.
Here is why you should opt for an outsourcing company:
- Consultation. Not everybody needs it, but lots of people do. It’s a great opportunity to get acquainted with services the company offers, understand which of them fit into your case and develop the major strategy. Good news: many companies do that for free!
- Improved skill set. HR specialists do care about proper professionals, so you don’t have to lose time checking the team members’ expertise.
- Great management. That’s what freelancers lack, as you already know. Each team has a leader that keeps an eye on handing in work on time.
- Transparency. Gaining a good reputation is crucial, so the company tries to meet all the legal requirements, sign the contracts and keep your intellectual property safe and sound. However, don’t forget to check everything.
- Further partnership. After the product release, you may want to hire the same team of professionals for the further development and maintenance of the app. People who were involved in the project from the beginning will know how to improve it later.
“Okay, sounds great, but what are the challenges?”
There are only two disadvantages of hiring a company:
- Less flexibility. You will have to communicate with a team leader and they will give the instructions to workers. It’s a long process in comparison with customer-freelancer communication.
- Higher cost. Yes, the payment rate will probably be higher because you hire a whole team instead of one tester, but there is no need to worry about the price/quality balance.
Our QA Advice
In our opinion, the pros of hiring a company outweigh the freelancer advantages, but the choice is up to you. Consider these questions before making a final decision:
If you’re eager to partner with a team of professionals, then Romexsoft has a great offer.
We are an experienced computing company, the AWS partner and are capable of finding custom solutions.
We provide all types of testing for outsourcing:
Visit our website for more information, get in touch with us and enjoy the smooth cooperation.
Thank you for choosing us!
