A growing percentage of non-IT organisations globally seek to substantially outsource their software development requirements. Others are still experimenting with improvised internal solutions, no matter how ineffective, expensive, or burdensome they may be, despite not being professionals in custom software development ,many of these in-house enthusiasts hold the opinion that while software development tasks in and of themselves should unquestionably be retained in-house, tasks like QA and testing can absolutely be outsourced.
There are also many non-IT businesses that, while generally capable of developing strong software applications in-house, are fully aware of the magnitude of the work needed to start a robust and trustworthy QA and testing process of their own.
Many non-IT companies that are prepared to outsource their QA requirements are unsure of how to go about doing so without endangering the quality and speed of their product’s time to market. Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend toward outsourcing software development services, particularly to foreign firms. The report states that “the market’s strong growth will accelerate at a CAGR of 5% from 2019 to 2024, with the IT outsourcing market share estimated to expand by USD 97.51 billion.” Nothing could stop business owners after they learned about the advantages of recruiting experts from outside.
One of the most common activities to be outsourced is quality assurance because it not only paves the path for immaculate product quality but also offers you a wonderful chance to delegate a significant portion of SDLC-related operations while gaining the opportunity to focus on business activities. There are a few things you should be aware of if you feel comfortable keeping your app development in-house but still wish to outsource your quality assurance.
Find out why outsourcing QA to an offshore software vendor is a beneficial decision by reading this article further.
1. What are the advantages of working with an offshore QA team?
Although the main advantages of incorporating testing and quality assurance (QA) into your software development cycle (SDLC) are often quite obvious (e.g., enhanced product user experience, ability to verify that the SDLC is moving in the appropriate direction), the advantages of working with an offshore QA team, in particular, should be discussed. We’ve compiled a list of the most advantageous benefits you can get when choosing to hire offshore QA testing experts based on input from our clients.
1.1 Cost-efficiency
As addressing discovered weaknesses and problems is far simpler and less expensive during the early stages of product development than it is after the solution has been released, simply involving testers in your project can considerably reduce your budget. However, hiring an offshore software tester or a team only serves to increase budget-saving efforts because experts from the most well-known outsourcing nations, such as Ukraine, Poland, China, countries in Latin America, etc., have lower rates than those in nations like the US, the UK, Germany, or Canada.
Furthermore, you can save money by contracting the testing of your product to offshore territories by eliminating the costs associated with hiring, training, and retaining experts as well as paying taxes, insurance, and other overhead costs.
1.2 Scalability
The choice of offshore software development organisations is made frequently because of their flexibility to scale up or down in terms of the quantity of QA experts and testers. These businesses typically have access to a large talent pool and can scale up or down their team size in response to client needs. This allows you a great deal of flexibility, particularly if you anticipate having to change the tester count as the product is developed.
1.3 Enhanced time to market
By deciding to outsource QA to an offshore organisation, you may be guaranteed that you’ll hasten the release of your product and, as a result, stay within your budget. By spotting serious flaws and faults before of the launch date, the hired testers can assist achieve the schedule precisely and make sure the product satisfies quality standards so it can be made available right away. They most likely possess the know-how to complete the testing portion on schedule even with heavy workloads.
For example, one of our clients engaged a group of our developers and QA engineers to finish a project that the previous IT company had started but wasn’t able to finish in time.
Given the already developed code and the lack of any software product testing, we had a short time frame in which to design and test an MVP for an eCommerce Hybris-based project. Before going online, 98% of the functionality was thoroughly tested and covered by test cases. We were able to go live with the MVP version on schedule and perfectly match the client’s criteria thanks to the rigorous QA procedure and combination of automated and manual testing. The client also saved money and time because there were no post-release reworks necessary due to the product’s high quality.
1.4 Delegate
When business owners decide to hire an offshore software testing team, they typically choose the outsourcing business strategy. It’s a very practical choice because it gives you the chance to outsource not just the testing portion but also the remaining product development and management. You can hire a whole dedicated team that will work exclusively on your project and will be made up of experienced professionals who know how to start the project from scratch and deliver it successfully. This is made possible primarily because offshore software vendors have a broad range of different IT professionals under one roof.
2. Tips for maximising the potential of an offshore QA testing team
When picking a business internationally, we strongly advise focusing on the following factors.
2.1 Analyse your software vendor’s reputation for reliability.
When hiring an offshore QA engineer or a team, one of the most common concerns for business owners is security and accountability. We advise checking the vendor’s prior customers’ reviews on reputable independent review platforms, like Clutch, which will give you a clear picture of the chosen company. Pay close attention to what they have to say about the cybersecurity aspect if you don’t want to have a poor experience and deal with some major security issues. You can also conduct a company interview to find out if the chosen vendor places a high priority on this area.
2.2 Go through the portfolio. Domain expertise is important.
The testers’ in-depth domain knowledge and the company’s portfolio of projects with testing done on them in cases similar to yours are two important variables that might make it possible to hire the best QA specialists. A QA engineer with in-depth domain knowledge can add important insights to the product in a specific field, such as a better understanding of end-user requirements and the creation of corresponding changes in the early stages of development, the creation of more precise testing scenarios, and the categorization and prioritisation of bugs with the aid of previously acquired expertise in a specific field.
2.3 Maintain effective communication.
You’ll need reliable and effective communication because the offshore QA crew you’re hiring is situated abroad, so everything must function well. The absence of a language or cultural barrier, the selection of appropriate collaboration software, and a well-thought-out communication strategy all contribute to the communication bridge that unites the offshore QA team and you.
2.4 Complement the onshore-offshore environment
In order to utilise the full potential of the hired QA engineers, you will need to create an onshore-offshore balance if you intend to implement a hybrid model, meaning you will have an offshore team and an onshore project lead who will oversee the specialists abroad or any other in-house team members who engage with the hired testers. To guarantee that everyone is on the same page, this will call for the well-designed communication strategy that we outlined in the section above, regular reports on the progress, and feedback.
2.5 Make the testing process explicit and specify your deliverables
Accurately defining the testing procedure is necessary if you want to achieve the intended results. Your expectations and goals, as well as the deliverables you hope to get at the conclusion of the quality assurance check, must be crystal obvious to the hired QA team. The overseas QA team should be familiar with the precise issues you’re trying to resolve, the target audience for your product, the testing methodologies that apply to your project, the format for presenting the results, and a lot more. All of these requirements must be spelled out in detail in the test plan, which must be created before the QA & testing process.
3. How do you decide what kind of QA testing your team needs?
Unless you already have a QA process in place, the software vendor typically chooses the testing strategy and testing tools when you opt to hire an overseas QA team. This decision is typically influenced by a number of variables, and we would like to emphasize the key elements that are typically taken into account:
The following factors are taken into consideration when choosing a testing strategy: the project’s details (industry, product type), the architecture’s complexity, the client’s needs, budgetary restrictions, hazards, and the project’s scope.
3.1 Manual and Automated Testing
Combining the two approaches is strongly suggested, particularly when manual testing cannot handle the workload. By carrying out test cases manually, without the use of automation software, you can make sure that the product is sufficiently user-friendly and offers a wonderful CX. For usability, ad-hoc, and exploratory testing, manual tests are preferred.
Regression, load, and performance testing are all better performed with automated testing because it is more dependable and efficient when compared to manual testing.
3.2 Functional and Non-functional Testing
The comprehensive software testing cycle includes both functional and non-functional testing, which should be used in tandem to produce better results (e.g., integration, user acceptance, unit testing, etc.). Depending on the functionality of the product that needs to be examined to determine whether it complies with the created requirements specifications, specific functional testing methods are used.
The types of non-functional testing are then chosen to examine those features that are more concerned with the operation of the product than its functionality.
Since there are so many different scenarios and factors to consider, it is impossible to give precise instructions on how to choose the sort of testing for your QA team. Therefore, selecting an IT outsourcing provider with extensive testing experience helps solve the issue of selecting the wrong testing strategy.
4. To Sum Up
The advantages of choosing to hire an offshore QA team include increased product quality, decreased costs, scalability, and the freedom to focus on business operations rather than management and administrative ones. The quality of your product can be trusted to a reputable software testing company with a well-established system of providing outsourcing QA and testing services, like TestDel, even though time and location differences, security issues, language, and cultural barriers may seem like insurmountable challenges.
TestDel is a leading software testing business that specializes in meeting complicated QA needs as well as other things. We are a group Of software testers who love to test and are passionate about quality.
TestDel started its operation in 2015 and specialize in :
- Various engagement models for testing and help companies go live quickly without sacrificing quality.
- Strengthen Product Security with testing experience of various kinds of applications
- Cost reduction due to our 7 years of outsourcing testing experience
- Project Monitoring and provides regular updates for senior stakeholders
- Rapid Start and we don’t want companies to wait launch project Most of our project start between 48 -72 hours!
- Good track record as we have a long history which is openly reviewed
We’d be pleased to answer any questions you have about outsourcing the testing or QA services and how it may benefit your business. For further information, please Contact Us.