QA outsourcing is a process in which a company appoints an independent vendor to handle their testing and QA requirements. It has several benefits, such as access to premium skills, faster time to market, and cost savings. Independent QA vendors also provide comprehensive analysis, full test coverage, and unbiased evaluation.
But even though most people know these benefits, they don’t opt for QA outsourcing. The main reason for that is there are certain myths associated with QA outsourcing that keep businesses from taking the step in the right direction.
One of the reasons is there are many companies out in the market, and choosing the best one becomes a tedious task. You should only use a trusted vendor who has complete knowledge of QA services, a good portfolio, scalability option, and infrastructure required to complete your request.
But there are several other myths regarding QA outsourcing. Today we’ll debunk some of them here.
- Only large companies use QA outsourcing. This myth perpetuated from another myth: that QA outsourcing is expensive, and small organizations don’t need it. Even though it’s correct that QA requires funds and experienced professionals, outsourcing a QA project significantly cuts the overall costs. What’s more, all major QA service vendors customize their models, so that you can choose based on your business requirements and budget. That way, you get access to a world-class team at a significantly less cost.
- Control over Project. Many people think that outsourcing the project means relinquishing control. They even believe that outsourcing will delay the release as another team will be responsible for the deadline of the final product. This myth is incorrect as the client and the vendor signs a service level agreement(SLA).
The testing is carefully pre-planned, and all the time constraints are accounted for. Also, the owner has the entire control over the final product. The managers and leaders of the QA vendor make sure that you have all the updates regarding the product. Status reports, online monitoring, and bug tracking are all available for interested companies.
- 100% bug-free product. Most of the time, companies expect the final product to be 100% bug-free after hiring a QA outsourcing company. That’s not feasible. Even though QA testing companies have rigorous processes and they make sure that the final product is as bug-free as possible, no vendor can promise a software entirely free of bugs. The most important priority is to maintain functionality and usability while limiting the bugs to an acceptable level.
- Automated QA. Most people think that with the advent of automation testing tools, they can automate the whole process. That is far from the truth, as most successful QA service vendors employ a combination of manual and automated techniques. The modules that you want to test repeatedly, i.e., exploratory tests, regression tests, etc., can be automated. Tools such as Selenium are used for that.
But testing for things like user experience, feel, and quality needs to be handled manually. A machine can’t properly assess that, not even with the most sophisticated AI algorithms around. For that, manual tools such as Browserling are used.
- Data Loss. Most people believe sharing their work with an outsourcing vendor would lead to confidential data loss. They might even lose internal IP. This myth is also not true as most vendors sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), service level agreement(SLA), and master service agreements.
Furthermore, the vendor has to comply with all data protection policies and standards, such as GDPR, ISO 27701, etc. They have to perform regular system and network checks. You can rest assured that all your internal knowledge, communications, and trade secrets are in the hands of trusted individuals.
- Thinking that QA is easy. People believe QA testing and analysis is easy. What’s there to do, someone just has to list down the bugs and email them to you, right? Actually, it’s much more complicated than that. Most of the time, finding the flaws is not even half of the QA professional’s job. First, a tester should have analytical, logical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Only then are they able to determine bugs in software
Second, once they report all the errors and reported bugs, the QA vendors prepare countermeasures and tips to rectify the errors. They also create a review of the tests based on requirements and the structure of the product, missed errors, and bug analytics. Thus, the QA vendor provides crucial information for the growth of the project.
Conclusion
Most people believe QA to be just an extra step in software development. The QA test is actually a necessary requirement for any software solution. It gets rid of flaws and helps create a better solution that is best suited for your business requirements.
There are many other myths related to QA outsourcing. Even though you may hear them, believing them may prove harmful for your business. With your focus on the right place, an investment in QA outsourcing can bring lots of value for your business.