Solving The Dilemma Of In-house Vs Outsourcing Software Testing Services

By Author: Diya Jones
Total Articles: 11
Comment this article

When intense competition in the digital landscape is forcing enterprises to come out with new software products at a faster rate, the demand for software testing services has gained prominence. This is due to the fact that customers want the best quality products at competitive prices, which can only be achieved after subjecting the products to a rigorous quality assurance process. However, there is always a dilemma that business enterprises face – whether to outsource software testing or opt for in-house testing? The industry seems to be split down the middle about acknowledging the efficacy of outsourcing software testing services or engaging in-house resources. In fact, the answer to this conundrum depends on the requirement or objectives of business.

In an Agile-DevOps driven development and testing ecosystem underpinned on Continuous Integration and Delivery, the effectiveness of software testing solutions can determine the success of a product or service. In the ultimate analysis, choosing between outsourcing KEYWORDsoftware testing services and in-house testing ...
... depends on a slew of factors such as the objectives and goals of enterprises, budget, and turnaround time. Let us find out how the two fare against each other.

Outsourcing software testing services versus in-house testing

Outsourcing per se is growing at a phenomenal rate, be it for the development or testing of products and services. There is a growing realization among enterprises that outsourcing can yield deliverables like robust quality, swift timeliness, and cost savings. So, let us delve into the benefits of software testing outsourcing.

Quality assurance: In a dynamically changing business landscape where quality has become the sole differentiator for enterprises, the testing of software applications would require the availability of advanced tools and technologies not to speak of the expertise of human resources. Since an experienced testing agency shall have the requisite tools, technologies, and expertise, you can be rest assured about the quality of the application being delivered to the market. Also, the experts of an outsourced software testing company will take a fresh approach at testing and ensure hidden glitches are brought to light. The experts have an added incentive to unearth glitches or bugs to ensure the credibility of the agency is kept intact. On the other hand, the in-house testing team may not be willing to go out of line with the development team and treat the latter with deference.

Cost savings: Hiring and maintaining an in-house testing team can be a costly proposition, especially for start-ups. Moreover, post hiring, there is no guarantee that they would be productive and efficient in delivering services. And should the team members outlive their utility, especially during lean times with less or no projects in the offing, they can turn out to be fairly expensive for the organization. On the other hand, software testing outsourcing can help you optimize cost by paying the agency the negotiated amount. So, in order to keep your product competitive, you need to optimize the cost of development and testing, and what better way to go about it than by outsourcing.

Scalability: There may be times when a sudden project requirement would require a large number of testers. In such times, scaling up your in-house testing team can be difficult given the stringent timelines and cost escalation. However, outsourcing can come to your rescue wherein you can hire an agency with the requisite number of testers till the time the project is completed. The arrangement can be flexible with the onus of ramping up or down the number of testers resting with the outsourced agency.

Notwithstanding the benefits of leveraging the services of a testing agency, there are some areas of dissonance as well.

The outsourced agency can be separated from your enterprise by geography, time zone and language. These limitations can hamper productivity for your in-house resources. So, before choosing the testing agency, ensure these factors are taken care of, especially the language.

Since the company cannot oversee the day to day progress of the testing project executed by the outsourced agency, there can be a perceived communication gap.

Outsourcing the testing of software applications containing sensitive personal and business information can lead to security issues.

Conclusion

Since both in-house and outsourcing team of testers have their respective pros and cons, the decision to outsource (or otherwise) shall ultimately rest on the business objectives. At a time when rising competition dictates the policies of enterprises, it is time outsourcing the testing services or otherwise was decided on its merits.