Software testing is a vital phase in any software development project. Due to frequently changing requirements and reduced product development life cycle, the risk of application deployment before a product is ready for the market is high. Thus the demand for software testing remains strong. According to Namcook Analytics LLC, finding and fixing bugs accounts for almost 50% of the total cost of the software project. In this respect, software testing outsourcing to Ukrainian companies helps businesses gain a competitive edge by applying the best testing practices for moderate costs.
Overall, more than 1000 IT companies are located in Ukraine and around 90% of them provide software testing services. Reducing high downtime costs between releases and accessing the biggest pool of testers are just a small part of the benefits of outsourcing to Ukraine. Since 2002, our company has developed vast expertise in software testing. N-iX is now delivering QA services on more than 20 projects in various industries. That is why we’ve decided to answer the most frequently asked questions by our clients to help you choose the best QA team and maximize your product testing efficiency.
1. What are the Pros and Cons of software testing outsourcing?
Pros:
Cost Effective:
Outsourcing software testing to Ukraine can result in considerable cost savings since the country is known for its moderate prices. In such case, you don’t have to spend huge amounts of money on in-house resources, training, and technology.
Better Testing Quality:
Involving an outsourcing company also helps to achieve better testing quality. Your provider will employ the best QA experts with experience in a wide variety of software testing methodologies, which will ensure the desired quality for all of your products.
Improved Time-to-Market:
Hiring an external team will help you adhere to timelines without putting additional strain on internal resources. Thus this may significantly reduce the time spent on completing the software development lifecycle.
Cons:
Culture Barriers
One of the major concerns of companies who look for a software testing provider is language and cultural barrier. Nevertheless, Ukrainian QA engineers can boast a high level of English proficiency and close cultural affinity with the Western clients.
Perceived Lack of Control
Many companies associate outsourcing with the lack of managerial control and believe that the project quality may suffer without their direct oversight. However, reliable outsourcing providers know how to establish effective communication between developers, managers, QA professionals, and their clients.
2. How to choose the best Ukrainian software testing outsourcing provider?
Many Ukrainian IT outsourcing companies offer a variety of QA services at attractive prices to enable you to successfully deploy your software to people who need it. However, the main challenge is in finding a reliable software testing vendor. Before outsourcing, you should clearly define the scope, testing areas, and coverage you are expecting from the service provider. Later on, it’s essential to look through the expertise of the outsourcing company to make sure they both have enough capacity to staff your project and experience in working across different industries. Having such testers in your team allows you to scale your QA resources with minimal risks and focus on transforming testing into a context-driven process.
3. How to choose the best cooperation model for software testing outsourcing to Ukraine?
An important aspect of the process of choosing a software testing outsourcing provider is selecting a cooperation model. Depending on your needs there are two most effective models:
- Dedicated QA teams: In this model, testing services for one or multiple projects at the client organizations are outsourced to a service provider. The service provider takes on the project from a client organization, deploys a testing team on-site that works with the client’s managers and teams and coordinates the work with the offshore team. These remote software testing teams may be easily extended with additional testing resources if needed.
- On-demand testing: This model helps companies reduce the costs spent on outsourcing by dividing the work into small manageable parts that may be outsourced to your software testing provider. In this way on-demand testers may be partially engaged in the software testing process and cooperate with other testers on the project.
4. What are the top 5 software testing & quality assurance companies in Ukraine?
It’s hard to compose an objective list of the best software testing outsourcing companies on the market. Nevertheless, judging from our experience in the industry, we’ve highlighted the top 5 well-established IT companies that have vast QA expertise and capacities to staff your project. They include:
- N-iX
- SoftServe
- Ciklum
- Infopulse
- ELEKS
5. What makes a good Software QA engineer?
An effective tester must be adaptable and creative to analyze the given business situation from different angles and consider all the possible scenarios. In such case, the tester is able to develop a logical argument based on relationships between elements and propositions, as well as identify implications and contradictions. With this in mind, such a specialist is able to anticipate complex problems along with visualizing and articulating them. Additionally, the knowledge of various testing techniques and approaches is essential since a professional software tester needs to adopt the testing approaches according to the contexts of the projects. What’s more, previous software development experience may be helpful as it provides a deeper understanding of development workflows, methodologies, and frameworks. However, a general understanding of software development processes is enough for maintaining a cooperative relationship with developers.
6. How qualified are Ukrainian testers and what are the main sources of QA talent in the country?
Ukrainian IT market is flooded with QA talent. The interest towards software testing is soaring as it is the quickest and easiest way to enter the Ukrainian IT sphere which offers decent salaries. The country provides numerous learning opportunities for newcomers and established QA specialists including QA Automation courses, Quality Assurance Internship, EPAM Lviv QA Program, DataArt QA School, Education QA Marathon, etc.
Ukrainian Association of Student’s Self-Government (UASS) has launched an educational initiative – Quality Assurance Training for Ukrainian students. During this training, participants have elaborated different models of organizing and functioning of National Students’ QA Experts Pool. Additionally, numerous testing events take place in Ukraine like BAQ Conference, QA Fest 2017, Security Testing Marathon, IT Weekend Lviv: Software Testing & Big Data, etc. Moreover, QA specialists have an opportunity to network at different meetups and QA talks such as Automation Talks at StartITClub, QA Talk Kharkiv, ¡QAramba!, OWASP Ukraine meetup 2016, and even more.
7. Are there certifications your nearshore testers in Ukraine should have?
One of the most widely recognized software testing certifications in the world is ISTQB. It demonstrates testers’ mastery of the best practices and key concepts in the field of quality assurance. CTFL/CTAL accredited professionals also prove to be qualified in effectively applying various testing methodologies. Most providers in Ukraine dedicate much attention to certifications. They encourage their employees to take these tests and even reimburse the fee. As a result, in Ukraine, you may easily find a certified QA specialist with a deep understanding of the best testing practices.
8. What are 3 common challenges in the software testing outsourcing process and how to avoid them?
The first common issue you may face is poor requirements or user stories. To avoid such issues, it is essential to have clear, detailed and testable specifications that are agreed upon by all parties. For instance, in agile environments, continuous close coordination with product owners or their representatives is necessary to ensure that emerging requirements are understood.
The second challenge rests in setting unrealistic schedules. It’s necessary to allow adequate time for planning, design, testing, bug fixing, re-testing, and documentation to maximize the efficiency of testing. Moreover, it’s essential to allocate enough time for choosing a bug/defect tracking system, appropriate testing system, and the right methodology. Consequently, you will receive the best testing quality, which will pay off in the future.
The third challenge is connected with miscommunication, which may cause different misunderstandings. That is why it’s useful to organize regular meetings and reviews when appropriate. This keeps you up-to-date on the progress of your remote QA team as well as promotes teamwork and cooperation.
Wrap-up
On the whole, software testing outsourcing to Ukrainian companies opens new opportunities by allowing you to receive maximum quality at adequate costs. Your remote software testing team will develop a detailed approach to testing in order to choose the most appropriate test design techniques and methodologies as well as identify potential risks. This will enable you to achieve better testing quality, improve time-to-market and remain competitive in today’s dynamic business landscape.
