Tips to outsource software testing! The best way of solving talent shortages!

Nowadays, it has become more difficult to secure testers who perform required tests before product release at the development site, due to talent shortages. This is largely due to the shortage of IT specialists. However, software testing is an essential phase of the development and must be performed, even if their is a labor shortage. Since the trend will continue in IT, let’s look at the advantages of outsourcing software testers.

What is role of the “tester” for the product release?

While the IT industries face a shortage of IT specialists, let’s look at the highly required testers and their job descriptions.

What is software testing?

Tester job is to conduct testing for the developed products, systems and other deliverable to verify that the system is bug and defect free. The main task of the tester is to check whether the product work according to the given test items. Process operation and see if the flow matches expected result. If you do not get the expected results, that means you have a defect in the system. Once they find that the products does not meet the required conditions, professional programmers and system engineers will takeover to do the necessary correction. Tester will most likely not be involved in this correction process.

Tester work will continue after the standard test process

After confirming the standard performance, the next step is to perform an irregular process and check if the software is functioning correctly. The actual user might interact with the system in away that the developer did not intended. Hence, it is necessary to check all possible interactions with the system. For example, type on the keyboard randomly or use the keyboard and mouse at the same time. Tester will perform such tests and record each result in detail. Regardless of the result, the report must contain all test data. Naturally, the report has become a fairly large amount of data.

Let’s start by considering the importance of the tester and their necessity

As we all know, testers are necessary for software development.

Why is software testing necessary?

The quality of the finished system is a matter of vital importance for the development company. The system must be secure and perform well under a wide range of conditions. Therefore, confirmation by tester is essential.

What is the risk without the tester?

Launching products without carrying outa test could lead to additional costs, like product correction costs, complaint handling, and retesting. In addition, once the defect is recognized, it will impact brand value and image. This could result in lower competitiveness of the company. According to a survey in US, software flaws are causing additional costs of as much as $ 59.5 billion annually. Additionally, it is said that one-third of the issue could be avoided with the initial testing. With testing and early identification, companies could saved about $ 19.6 billion annually.

Shortage of IT specialists and increase in outsourcing of testers

The demand for IT is increasing, since there is a surge in large-scale IT-related investment in the industries and increased needs for the information security etc. Low birthrate and aging society are contributing factors. In Japan, the working population, especially the younger generation is expected to further decrease and it will be harder to acquire IT resources in the future. If their are no major changes in the trend for new graduates, the number of new graduates in the IT-related industry is expected to decrease as the population declines. The same thing is expected for the tester personnel.

Why is software testing being outsourced?

As mentioned above, the increase in outsourcing of testers is mainly due to the shortage of IT personnel. Testers are considered entry level work as a software engineer and with the limited number of new IT personnel entering the field, it is becoming more difficult to secure manpower for software testing. As a result, there is a surge in outsourcing software testing. Compared to in-house tester, it will reduce costs and allow the company to focus on hiring programmers.

Key benefits of outsourcing software testing

Solve manpower shortage

An outsourced team can help reduce the burden on your in-house IT team by taking over your testing project such as processing huge amount of tests or hiring and training testers. If you focus on hiring specialist and strain your in-house team, sometime it will cause negative impact to your core business of product development.

Testing with third person point of view

By testing the developed software through the appropriate channels, sometimes the third party is able to find obstacles that developers tend to overlook. Normally, the developer is very familiar with the functions and specifications, and the scope of the test could be too narrow or skipped important specifications.

Cost effective

By outsourcing testers, it is possible to minimize the cost of hiring and training the tester for each project. It will also save you time to process huge amount of tests with your in-house team.

Disadvantages of outsourcing software testing

Required clear and transparent communication with outsourcing company

Outsourcing company is the specialist for tester, however they are not your in-house team. Therefore, they might not understand your corporate philosophy and the original purpose of the project. Sometime it is difficult to be on the same page. It is necessary to clarify your needs in a clear and transparent manner before working with them. A clear timeline is also important since they might not be able to accommodate your request due to limitations.

Lower rate does not equal lower total cost

For the outsourcing of the tester, the profit of the business partner is naturally added to the cost. As a result, some of the time, it could be more costly compared to using in-house labor and fixed costs.

Mamasan&Company Inc.

Hiring is one of the biggest challenges for IT human resources, outsourcing testers is an effective option. However, it is important to select the outsourcing company carefully. Mamasan&Company Inc. provides the BPO services for system development business. We support a wide range of services from development to maintenance, with the world’s highest level of security, fast and close communication, speedy execution, experienced team and specialized skill we will provide after-sales support. With a proven track record over 10 years, together with remote workers from around the world, we provide total support for back office duties, call center services, e-commerce operations, etc.,

Conclusions

We highlighted intense labor shortage for the tester in the IT industries, nevertheless this situation is a common issue in the entire IT industry. Their is a way to solve this internally by assigning the tester’s work to the programmers, SEs or other business departments. However, in order to proceed more efficiently and release new products in a timely manner, choosing outsourcing for tester is a useful options.