A question that perplexes many business owners is:
At what point in the SDLC do we need to bring in, the software testing professionals?
Is it during early production deployment? Or when the client updates the software requirements?
Or is it after the actual software deployment when the defects are reported by the customers?
The real answer will shock you!
A software testing plan must be in place even before the actual software development starts.
A general set of test cases must be simultaneously developed alongside the program code, and certain guidelines must be set for appropriate quality assurance.
Software testing is an essential part of the SDLC. Testing can be performed either by an in-house testing team or a managed software testing services provider.
This brings us to the next important question:
What are managed software testing services?
Simply put, managed software testing is the practice of outsourcing software testing responsibilities to a skilled team of professionals who conduct comprehensive tests to gauge the performance, functionality, and security of the product to be tested.
With the help of managed software testing and quality assurance services, business owners can cut down the expenses while improving operations.
The challenges of having an in-house testing team.
Although an in-house testing team is beneficial for software testing needs within the organization, sometimes the in-house test engineers miss out on significant issues and bugs due to oversight. Also, employing these engineers for quality assurance brings with it, high costs of recruitment, training, and upskilling.
Here are some of the common challenges faced by organizations with in-house QA teams:
- The increased cost of testing- Quality assurance processes bring with them the cost of lengthy man-hours and trained labor. From documentation to debugging and reviews to code cleanups, the direct and indirect costs can scare a development team away from indulging in any testing efforts.
- An underutilized team- Full-time QA teams, often feel that their full potential isn’t being utilized. It is primarily because of the intermittent nature of software testing.
- Quality of the delivered product- With an in-house QA team, there is less room for comprehensive test coverage or product innovation based on test results.
- Lack of a standard testing process- In-house QA teams are often rigid and under skilled when following benchmark standards of testing.
- Increased workload to the specialized department – Full-time QA teams often feel overwhelmed with the software testing needs of their organization, thereby needing an external helping hand to help them in their testing efforts.
The question that arises, subsequently, is, how can we manage to tackle these challenges while building an efficient software application?
The solution lies in taking help from managed brand assurance and testing services providers with an experienced and skilled team, well versed in quality assurance processes.
To deal with these challenges, an organization can add teams to work on-site, on-shore, near-shore, off-shore, or a combination of these delivery models. This, in turn, gives rise to the need for Managed QA services.
Benefits of managed testing services
With the help of managed quality assurance services, an organization can have the added benefits of cutting costs, deploying before deadlines, and bringing in multitudes of talent, helping to render a great piece of software. These outsourced software testing teams can work on-site, on-shore, off-shore, near-shore, or any combination of these.
Here are eight reasons why managed testing teams are better for you in the long run:
- Get better application quality.
Organizations focused on business assurance understand the importance of impeccable QA processes. To roll out applications that will add to a credible brand image, you need to get them tested by a team of experienced and skilled software testing professionals. Having a managed testing team allows you to deliver efficiency and effectiveness, all the while minimizing overhead charges.
2. Save time with 10X faster deployment.
With lower cycle time, quick sprint iterations, and early detection and fixing of bugs, managed QA teams pace up your deployment and delivery speed, helping you stay ahead of deadlines.
3. Maximize ROI with cost-effectiveness.
A common notion that surrounds QA is that it is an expensive investment. On the contrary, taking help from a managed testing team saves you a lot of monetary resources in the long term. It helps eliminate bugs identified at the production stage and frees organizations from the costs of hiring, training, and other expenses associated with building in-house software testing teams.
4. Get an unbiased approach to testing.
Psychological and cognitive biases have no room when QA is outsourced to a managed testing team. Outsourced testing teams approach a project with zero prejudice or expectations, thus providing clear and crisp validation, which is ultimately helpful in finding and eliminating a higher number of bugs.
5. Cover skill and technology gaps effectively.
An in-house testing team is limited when it comes to men or machines. With managed quality engineering teams, you can expand your resources, be it getting your hands-on costly QA tools, or getting to work with highly skilled quality engineers who follow consistent methodologies and benchmark software testing standards.
6. Unlock the Agile methodology & innovate.
Managed QA testing services give you the flexibility of choosing an Agile team that is customized to your project needs. Integrating Agile approaches into QA improves collaboration between in-house and managed teams, thereby aiding in continuous test process improvement.
7. Gain a deep business understanding.
With a rich knowledge repository containing data artifacts, common frameworks, templates, and dedicated competencies, managed testing teams work with you, to plan and coordinate your project more effectively.
Offshore teams also come with time-saving benefits, i.e., with teams working round the clock, your productivity is multiplied, leading to a faster delivery time.
8. Stay on top of your security game.
Customers want a secure software application with no safety loopholes. A managed testing team will increase the security testing coverage to include both standard and advanced security issues that are often missed out by in-house teams.
What do we take away?
While building an in-house QA team requires a lot of time, efforts and resources, outsourcing your QA needs to a company that provides managed testing services, can have manifold benefits. A managed testing service provider can design and deliver contextualized solutions that leverage deep industry-specific understanding with technology-specific competencies and unique software testing-focused assets.
Their commitment towards the client, drives them to deliver results by combining customer-centric business models, critical thinking and the ability to gain a profound comprehension of customers’ goals and challenges.
Outsourcing your QA needs to a reliable software testing service provider company can not only ensure flawless product quality, but it can also increase your testing velocity, minimizing your costs all the while.