Identifying the Right Software Testing Services Provider
When embarking on any software development project, it makes sense to obtain the services of a software testing and quality assurance specialist to ensure a bug-free product that will satisfy your end-users. There may be a lot of software testing companies out there, but not all of them will be able to provide high-quality services. How will you know which is the right software testing services provider for you? Here is a guide to help you identify and pick the right partner for your software testing outsourcing needs:
What Do You Want To Achieve Through Outsourcing QA Services?
When you’re looking to outsource software testing and QA services, it is vital to clearly define your business objectives and goals. Before you begin outsourcing your software testing project, it is important to clearly define test scope for software testing, i.e., features to be tested, testing coverage, etc., you are expecting from the QA service provider.
Whom Would You Outsource For Software Testing Services?
Look up software testing companies and specialists online and make a list of good candidates based on the size of their company, positive reviews, cost, and their ability to meet your requirements. Do a thorough analysis about software testing companies. If you are outsourcing from overseas, consider the difference in time zones and language barriers, as these could cause problems down the line.
Know Their Procedure For Testing Software
Make sure they follow the best practices and methodologies in software testing to ensure the successful completion of your project. You may want to consider a software testing services provider that can fit into your current delivery model and integrate a good strategy that can suit your objectives.
Work With An Experienced Software Testing Services Provider
Look into a software testing company that has handled projects that are similar to yours. Make sure they have a team of professionals experienced in software testing services. They should be up-to-date with latest technologies and software testing practices. Make sure their team includes professionals with the qualifications to meet the objectives of your project.
The Ability To Understand Your Requirements
A good software testing services provider should be able to understand your project’s requirements, while being aware of your objectives, schedule of delivery, and budget. To get the best outcomes, you need a software testing company who can customize software testing process that suits your business’s objectives and exclusive needs.
Changing Requirements
Changes in requirements are expected in agile development. Your QA vendor should be able to quickly adapt to sudden changes in testing requirements. In order to properly manage changes, it is essential to have a comprehensive change and configuration management system in place.
Certified QA Professionals
Make sure their team includes software testers certified by a noted certification body. Ensure that they have full stack QA professionals to perform all types of testing (functional testing, non-functional testing, etc.)
Project Communication Management
Ensure they have an effective channel for communication. There should be an experienced person on QA vendor’s side to update project progress from time-to-time and to answer any and all questions you may have related to your project.
Information Security Management
When selecting a software testing company, information security must remain the highest priority. Make sure they have policies in place to protect your data, assets. It is important to make sure the software testing vendor complies with standards and apply the most efficient security practices. Keeping your company's data and assets secure is important when working with a QA company.
Infrastructure
If you plan to hire a QA company to work on your project, ensure they have the required infrastructure (Software, Hardware, Software Testing Tools, etc,.).
Documentation
Software testing company must follow internationally accepted standards (ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119) for project documentation. They must provide easy access to project test documentation - test strategy, test plan, test cases, bug reports and test reports (test artifacts).
Non-Disclosure Agreement
When you outsource a QA team for your project, make sure the QA services provider is ready to follow NDA policy with the clients. It is important to sign a non-disclosure agreement before revealing any project details.
Service-Level Agreement
When working with a software testing services provider, it is a good idea to include SLA as part of your contract. Service Level Agreement (SLA) should describe in detail the level of service you expect from QA vendor.
Outsourced software testing provides various benefits to organizations such as reduced costs, reduced time to market, better quality and access to best software testing practices. In addition to the benefits, software testing outsourcing has risks such as information security, miscommunication, etc,. When you are outsourcing software testing, you should have a clear picture of what you need from your outsourcing partner. The right outsourcing partner should be able to meet all your project needs in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.