WHEN DO YOU NEED TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE QA TEAM?

The fact that many companies do not have a professional software QA team and sophisticated software testing processes. And this leads to pains sometimes because even if everything seems to be pleasing in your testing processes, there can be hidden problems that act as a time bomb and require a timely resolution.

In a world full of digital solutions, it shouldn’t be necessary to talk about the importance of quality assurance (QA). The competition is too high, and there is no room for error. This is where professional software QA engineers come into play.

Learn more: How do you manage an offshore QA team?

This article highlights the warning signs that you may not be able to cope with quality control, and solutions from a software testing company can help you in each situation.

Case #1: Poor quality of the product

Overall poor quality, unexpected problems in production, and unstable software behavior often lead to serious business problems such as financial loss or decreased customer loyalty.  These issues are a wake-up call that urges companies to act decisively.

Consider these things: about 48% of consumers leave an app because of a poor customer experience. And acquiring new customers is 6 or 7 times more expensive than retaining existing customers.

In most cases, however, poor quality is just the tip of the iceberg, not the cause, but a sign of severe problems in quality assurance processes, which can range from an incorrect testing strategy or methodology to an incompetent QA team.

How can robust software QA engineers help?

Since you can’t improve what you do not understand, you need to identify gaps in your processes.

Finding bugs in the processes they go through daily is a significant challenge for most teams. It isn’t easy to maintain objectivity, even for the best in-house test equipment. Because of this, you may need a neutral and independent assessment of your company’s current software development and testing practices.

And while consultants might not own deep enjoyment in your industry, they frequently have a background in an extensive range of development business scenarios.

It’s essential to understand that the assessment approach is very flexible and adapts to your business needs. To make everything work, we’ll define goals and areas you need assessed. As a rule, we interview the key people, including QA engineers and developers, if necessary, senior managers, inspect how you perform testing, and review your existing test documentation.

Besides, our QA experts analyze the testing strategy and tools used to execute tests and manage teams.

Ultimately, you will receive a list of all the detected QA gaps and issues, as well as their fundamental causes and the dangers they pose to software quality.

Identifying the key issues improves the whole testing process, improving your chances of success and enhancing a better user experience.

For example:

We recently completed a QA process evaluation for an insurance firm. They have a custom web application that offers consumers insurance for everything from pets to fishing equipment.

Based on the analysis, we assisted them in developing a new testing strategy and shared our test documentation templates. From that, they can address problems independently.

Believe it or not, it is often enough to make a few simple modifications to your testing procedures to see a significant improvement in your testing efforts.

Maybe you are interested in: Our QA/QC Service.

Case #2: Slowdown of product releases

Long development cycles indicate a problem, especially in today’s cutthroat IT industry, when everyone strives to release at breakneck speed.

As in the preceding example, we are dealing with the result rather than the cause. The following are some of the causes for a low-speed testing life cycle and, as a result, software release:

• You are ignoring automated testing practices.
• Release timelines are so rushed that there is no time for testing.
• Lack of consistency and dependability.
• Management of test execution that is not optimal.
• Bad quality visibility and unclear feedback loop.
• Inappropriate testing toolset for project capabilities and demands.
• Missing end-to-end tests and parallel testing.
• Inadequate testing culture.
• Lack of QA resources, and others.

What can a professional software QA team do with it?

The good news is that by establishing an effective testing procedure, any company may shorten the release cycle and stay ahead of the competition.

When a business cannot handle this challenge internally, outsourcing QA service can assist in scaling up production with minimal effort.

Quite often, the reason for a release showdown is a lack of test automation or flaws in automated testing methods. According to the world quality report, 61% of respondents had difficulty automating their QA procedures.

So if you need to integrate test automation into your project, QA experts can provide you with a cutting-edge test automation approach to shorten your test execution time.

Any test automation strategy begins with deciding which tests to automate. The finest examples, in our opinion, are the tests that:

• Highly repetitive
• Involve high risks (for example, business-critical test cases)
• Check the stability of features
• Require testing over multiple browsers, devices, or configurations
• Time-consuming for manual testing
• Involve multiple options (like submission forms)

Following that, we determine the testing techniques (unit testing, regression testing, end-to-end testing, and so on) that will give the most value when automated. Then, software QA engineers will assist you in selecting the testing tools that are most suited to the project’s requirements, as comprehensive automated testing is heavily reliant on the proper testing frameworks.

Consequently, you have a functioning test automation strategy that may enhance your testing structure, QA methodologies, and test environment, allowing you to optimize delivery time and ROI.

Case #3: Expensive software QA activities

Keeping project expenses low is the key to maximizing your company’s revenue.

In actuality, QA and testing costs range from 25% to 40% of the project budget. If the cost of software QA surpasses these figures, there are underlying flaws in the testing lifecycle that necessitate a professional opinion.

The causes for this might vary, but most of them are exacerbated by the fact that testing is performed at the incorrect time. For example, the money is exhausted near the end of a project, and correcting errors becomes prohibitively expensive and time-consuming.

What solution can QA experts offer?

In terms of the multidimensional notion of value, professional QA engineers will analyze your testing process to answer the following questions:

• What makes testing costly.
• When it becomes expensive.
• Where it would be expensive.
• Who makes it expensive.

After identifying the answers, you will obtain a comprehensive knowledge of your project’s overall expenditures, as well as helpful advice for developing accurate budget planning.

In such a situation, the whole action plan is geared around reduced expenses.

Software QA Consulting benefits you in two ways:

Firstly, the review and improvement plan boost your test efficiency, lowering your quality assurance costs. Hiring a testing consultant gives you access to dozens of projects’ worth of testing experience.

Secondly, a software testing company can offer you cutting-edge testing specialists to meet your unique requirements. An outsourcing testing team that is outsourced may considerably lower the cost of your QA procedure.

Learn more: How to work effectively with an IT outsourcing software development company?

Case #4: Excessive workload of QA engineers

This obstacle might suggest several issues, such as a lack of resources, expert qualification, or extreme time pressure.

We observed IT projects where developers did all testing without the presence of a QA expert. In this situation, you risk squandering your engineers’ abilities by making them amateur testers.

There are also instances where all QA work is performed by a small group of testing professionals who cannot handle the vast project scope or specialists who lack the necessary expertise. We won’t even talk about projects where testers struggle to meet deadlines and achieve desired testing coverage.

These are excellent illustrations of what not to do. It’s a slippery slope since, in most situations, a heavy schedule is the least of your worries in the future.

How can software QA experts solve this problem?

A software testing company may assess your testing process to determine the root causes of the high workload.

Depending on the condition of your quality assurance and the gaps discovered, you can obtain professional advice on maximizing resources and allowing your development and QA teams to focus on essential activities.

And these suggestions may include:

• A brand-new approach to testing: It might entail a different approach to testing, such as a different testing methodology, a more structured workflow, or a testing roles hierarchy. This will help your QA team to have a better knowledge of the scope of the project and take responsibility for their respective aspects of the job.
• Expert guidance on organizing effective processes to reduce misunderstanding among the parties involved and consider the QA team an essential component of the development lifecycle.
• Better testing scope estimation, as things are certain to fail if development begins with incorrect assumptions.
• A cost-benefit analysis for test automation will determine whether it is reasonable to use automation to reduce the strain on the QA team.
• An improved collection of testing tools to broaden the testing engineers’ capabilities and add to their working processes.

Case #5: Lack of professional niche and full-stack testing expertise

In some cases, companies have battle-tested internal QA resources but lack expertise in testing domains or innovative approaches.

There are three options to deal with it:

• Hire additional necessary specialists
• Work with a QA service outsourcing company
• Train an internal QA team

Hiring missing expertise may frequently result in high costs that most companies cannot afford. Keep in mind that an employee’s wage is merely the tip of the iceberg. Secondary expenditures may encompass anything from the social package to recruiting and training fees, as well as the possibility of disputes with current workers.

What does a software testing company offer instead?

In this situation, internal training and outsourcing seem to be more cost-effective. The majority of software testing companies can offer you both. Besides, software testing outsourcing services may help your in-house team prepare to manage all parts of the QA process.

InApps provides QA training and workshops that focus on practical knowledge rather than theoretical concepts. Our QA experts share best practices gained from years of testing experience during the training sessions. All training activities are tailored to your specific needs and may include workshops on effective quality evaluation, enhanced testing processes, well-formed QA documentation, writing test scripts, etc.

Thus, a partnership with a QA consulting corporation lets you avoid expensive hiring overheads and increase an inner trying-out culture. Also, you can get access to the right QA skills on-demand and outsource testing activities to pro offshore QA teams.

Wrapping Up

To sum up, QA Consulting is the fountain of benefits for companies that want to improve their products and want to fight a place in the sun. The detection and development process is not static and must be adapted to changing trade conditions.

Here are a few additional scenarios in which you could want the assistance of a software testing company:

• Growing IT projects or increasing the number of projects necessitate greater documentation and a more systematic QA approach.
• To obtain a reasonable estimate of the testing costs, effective budget planning is required.
• Implementation of new software development methodologies or practices such as continuous integration or test-driven development.
• Rapid growth or reorganization of a company necessitates the development of entirely new testing processes.
• Communication issues between QA and other development teams.
• There are insufficient QA resources on the project, or there is no established QA strategy at all.
• Increasing time-to-market without sacrificing quality.
• Inability to obtain a complete picture of the testing lifecycle due to a lack of transparency and control.
• The requirement for an efficient testing environment that considers all aspects of your business processes, etc.

InApps has been providing a wide variety of software programs and trying out consulting offerings for nearly 10 years. We’re satisfied to assist dozens of corporations in enhancing their trying-out competence and growth ROI.