Software Test Outsourcing

The Costly Learning Curve of Software Test Outsourcing

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There are three things you can do to avoid the costly learning curve of software test outsourcing initiatives. Why does a learning curve exist? Software is getting more complex every day.  This makes software testing even harder. The learning curve for any software testing team can be steep and it is even steeper and more costly for software test outsourcing teams.

When the learning curve to begin testing software is steep due to complexity, everybody on the team feels the cost – especially the project manager! Software engineers experience interruptions which degrades their concentration, business analysts get frustrated covering old ground and project managers churn through project timelines and budgets trying to get everything to match up.

You can’t make software less complex and you can’t roll back time (unless you have a time machine that you’re keeping secret from the rest of us!). If you can’t compress the size of the problem or flatten the learning curve then all you’re left with is tools.

Three Key Tools to Shorten the Learning Curve of Software Test Outsourcing

Here are the things we use regularly at TESTCo that have proven effective in reducing the learning curve of software test outsourcing.

  1.  Use a Functional Map – create an index of user stories/scenarios as compared to primary function points in the software where the intersection of a user story and a function point denotes a test case or collection of test cases. This index provide multiple benefits starting from Day 1. Contact Us to see how a Functional Map could help your software testing team.
  2. Build a Value Proposition – when your entire software test outsourcing team understands and is aligned behind BOTH your technical and business goals, your QA team becomes a key strategic lever to move your software project directly towards your business and technical goals every day. Reach Out to Us to learn more about our Value Proposition Process.
  3. Add a QA Manager for your software test outsourcing team. At TESTCo, we believe that managers manage and engineers engineer. Engineers almost always perform at a higher level when they are led and managed by an experienced technical manager. We believe so strongly in the value and benefit of a QA Manager that we provide one, at no additional cost, for every TESTCo client.

If the learning curve of software test outsourcing is holding you back, we’d enjoy the opportunity to share how we’re different and more successful for our clients.