Are you looking to hire a third-party testing service provider to ensure the highest level of product quality?

It’s risky to expect them to jump right into a new project and begin testing. In fact, it would be more useful to first identify the specifications, criteria for selecting service providers, and general terms of cooperation.

Follow this step-by-step guide to select and assign a supplier who will contribute to the product development process with quality, security, and confidence.

Step 1: Identify the Requirements

Before assigning a service provider, specify the criteria for the testing program. They should be formally defined, with particular goals in mind and recorded in a requirements specification. Consider the following:

• Technique for developing software
• Main stages of the process
• Funding for the project
• The predicted size of the project team
• Resources available
• Business and functional goals
• Available time frames
• The composition of the QA team
• Business model
• The scope of the project
• Types of testing that are required
• Any effect on IT infrastructure and confidential data that needs to be taken into account

The testing program’s specifications should be formally documented in a requirements specification, reviewed by tech experts, business analysts, and closely monitored.

Step 2: Search for a Service Provider

• Even though the market competition is high, the quality of testing services sometimes raises concerns.
• Use trusted sources’ recommendations or rate lists of testing providers, such as Clutch ratings, to avoid wasting money and time. Upwork and other freelance marketplaces are also useful.
• Perform some background checks to see if the candidates have a good reputation and experience with the kinds of tests you need, as well as customer feedback.
• Check to see if the service’s price is within your budget. To establish a productive workflow, keep in mind the provider’s location and time zone. Select the best candidate from a list of nominations.

Step 3: Choose a Good Service Provider

• Prepare a time-limited test assignment, such as testing a module/unit of your software to authenticate the competence of potential vendors. It is called the Pilot Project. Then evaluate the results, paying special attention to the following factors: the quality of bug reports, the quality of communication, and the prepared recommendations for improvement.
• Choose a provider after considering the test results and your personal impression. However, keep in mind that you should choose the provider within two weeks at most to enable preparation activities.

Step 4: Communicate the Requirements

To create a consistent workflow, provide all available documentation to a QA team, including specifications, requirements, market and target user analysis, release notes and updates, test cases, test plan, bug reports if available, and access to the bug tracking system, such as Jira, Redmine, task management systems, and messengers. Make a list of the devices, operating systems, browsers, and hardware configurations that should be tested.

Determine who will be in charge of coordinating work with a remote team. The person should be well-versed in the product and phases of the workflow to answer any questions that arise during the testing process.

Step 5: Describe Cooperation Parameters

In the early stages of the cooperation, the customer’s tech team and the contractor’s QA team lead are introduced to each other. The project specifications and updates are sent to QA engineers by the QA team leader.

A general meeting of all project team members includes a discussion of testing priorities, anticipated results, responsibility distribution, bug fixing process, and other topics.

Never underestimate the importance of selecting the right independent testing service provider. The overall success of a product highly depends on whether it is tested by the right people at the right time for the right reasons. Make sure that your chosen contractor meets or exceeds the selection.