Making Independent Software Testing Work – Things you must do, and look for

When Software testing goes beyond just the programmer and his team, we get an unbiased and honest end result without creating a scenario where people point fingers at each other. Independent Software testing involves a group of specialists working in isolation from the development team whose core responsibility is spotting all the quality issues.

Independent software testing brings in innovative technology along with continuous R&D, and ensures that you get high quality tested software, something that could have been difficult to accommodate within your project’s budget. In fact, according to TachNavio’s analysis, the market for global testing services is set to grow at a CAGR of 11.1% between 2013 and 2018.

Though cost effectiveness is one of the major factors that come to picture when outsourcing, there are many aspects to be taken into consideration when you select an independent software testing provider/vendor.

Infrastructure

The testing firm should have all the latest technology based tools and multiple platforms. There should be test environments, frameworks and reusable architectures that can be used for reproducing the product execution.

Processes, Metrics and Sample Checks

• A good service provider should offer a robust process flow that will serve as a guideline for quality assurance.
• Well defined metrics help compare and keep track of the quality of the current software with earlier versions
• Samples of the test scripts, test plans, and other QA reports will help assess whether the testing team is the right solution for your Software testing

Flexible and Structured Mode of Communication

Time zone variations are inevitable. You need to know how flexible the testing team is to your working hours. However if you decide to choose a collocated Independent testing, this problem vanishes.

• A structured and time bound communication that includes status reports on a regular (daily/ weekly) basis, bug triage meetings, and timely issue escalations ensures smooth flow of development and testing.
• The Testing team should also provide detailed documentation so that there is a record of the testing carried out.

Additional reading: Industry Perspectives gives an insight to the many business benefits of Colocation.

Security

Keep a check on the rules on intellectual property rights and the security of your product at the service provider.

Attitude of the Testing Team

A proactive testing team who asks the right questions, and gets any or all of their doubts clarified, is important when choosing Independent Software testing. The provider’s team should be willing to share their expertise and help establish a good rapport with your software team.

Independent Software testing assures a cost reduction for the project as it not feasible to have the same quality testing in-house. It also offers a better ROI. Since testing and development occurs on a parallel scale, there is a time saving element too.

It is possible to make Independent testing work for you, once you check off the above parameters when evaluating a software testing vendor/provider. Choosing the right service provider is extremely important for sustained value in terms of investment and output when software testing has become such a critical aspect in a project cycle.

According to the study on Growth Market Software testing by Pierre Audoin Consultants, more than 90 per cent of the surveyed companies consider a longer-term, partnership based collaboration in testing to be indispensable and view the agreement of performance indicators, such as are standard in managed test services agreements, to be crucial for success.

Cigniti has been constantly working on innovations and investing in R&D around software. Many leading organizations have relied on Cigniti’s specialist independent software testing services for over a decade and have achieved significant market acceleration. But don’t take our word for it! Check out what our clients have to say!