How to Select a Test Automation Services Company? Evaluation Checklist
When you work with such a fragile product as software, lots of issues may arise and mess up your neat architecture. Proper testing and quality management help you mitigate the risks of low-quality output. Companies cover these parts of a SDLC in-house or by involving QA outsourcing providers. The latter is often faster and easier than assembling a team.
So, how do you find a company that provides QA automation services? It probably starts as finding anything else: you google it, and get a long list of company names. Then, how do you select the one that can deal with your request? There are some things to keep in mind during this research and before signing any term agreements.
In this article, you will find some guidelines on how to avoid getting attracted by glossy promo materials and choose a company that will be a perfect fit for yours.
Determine Your Outreach Goals & Research
Automated testing is an essential part of the quality control process. Unlike manual testing, it employs ready-to-use tools that free up time during the testing process. Instead of running the checks manually, an AQA engineer prepares the scripts and sets up the program to run tests. Thus, testing can go on automatically and unsupervised, even at night if the scope of work is large.
Test automation goals include facilitating the test process and boosting its efficiency. However, automated testing is not a panacea. It doesn’t benefit a project by default. To be more specific, you can start considering automation if the core functionality is stable and won’t undergo changes. As a rule, automation is a go-for solution in case:
- tests are tedious and slow when run manually;
- tests involve multiple datasets;
- tests will decrease the probability of human error;
- tests need to be run across a variety of platforms.
Keep in mind that it makes sense to automate only the tests that have clear Pass/Fail criteria. You can learn more about selecting cases for automation in one of our previous articles.
So, when you are sure your project is ready for implementing automated tests:
- Generate your request. Why do you need automation? What are the goals of your outreach? What tasks a provider is supposed to cover?
- Start a research: search engines, advertising, recommendations, review platforms, etc.
- Make a list of companies that you like and want to consider in detail.
When selecting an automated software testing provider, consider carefully your demand for automation as well as expectations from a provider and automated tests in general. It’ll help you formulate the request and have a productive discussion during the negotiation process. Probably, there are specific outcomes that you expect from the project, but there should always be three key outcomes that an automated QA testing company should deliver:
- Reduced testing time.
- Accuracy in test coverage.
- Objective & data-based results.
After that, do your own research and not bounce into the arms of the first service provider who reveals to you what you need to hear.
Prepare a Shortlist of Providers
Check at least several pages of the search results. Browse through reliable review platforms. You’ll see a handful of good choices. But try to add to your list companies that:
- have solved similar problems successfully;
- have an active, functional, up-to-date website;
- have a service you need listed on their website;
- have an easy way to contact them.
So, you prepare a shortlist of test automation service providers. Now, it’s time to select which one will be the most suitable for you.
Consider These Seven Factors
We’d recommend you to focus on the expertise, testing tools, and details of the process. You will find more information on each below. Probably, this list is not complete, but it covers the main points to consider.
Expertise & Skilled QA Specialists
A QA provider that specializes in automated testing should cover the whole chain of testing automation – from selecting a proper strategy to its implementation. So, first of all, pay attention to well-settled companies with enough experience. The domain knowledge of AQA Engineers in niche areas (e-commerce, healthcare, fintech, etc.) would be a great bonus for your team.
Testing Tools
You can usually find a list of tools a company is familiar with on an AT service page on their official website. This information will give you a better idea of their technical stack. The list may be incomplete, but the variety of solutions can give you a hint of a specialists’ skills. You can specify the rest through the contact form or during the call.
Communication Process
Ideally, QA specialists become an integral part of your team thanks to direct, close communication. It involves the full immersion in the team activities with help of meetings and calls. So, most of the management-related moments can remain the responsibility of a partner company. But if you are fine with managing the outsourced QA engineers, that’s also okay.
Location
Outsourcing often implies partnering with an offshore QA provider. Some suppose it can result in communication issues. So, check in what time zone a company is located. If you have at least several common hours, it will probably work just fine. It would be enough to set up an effective workflow. You can also discuss the details of the working schedule on the call with a company’s representatives.
Fast Start
What if you need to run automated tests tomorrow? Unfortunately, it rarely works that way. When we talk about fast start, we refer to quick onboarding and integration into the team. As for the first working day, “tomorrow” is not always an option.
Often, you’ll need to wait until a specialist with the required skills and competencies finishes their current project. It can take a few days or over a month, depending on the circumstances. Besides, signing the agreements will take at least a few days. Thus, it is reasonable to start the QA quest beforehand. It’ll be better to have a scheduled start date and an AQA specialist ready and waiting to join.
Documentation & Reporting
If you have ready checklists or test cases, a company can use them. Otherwise, their manual
QA engineers will prepare the necessary documentation, and AQA engineers will prepare the test scripts. Normally, you receive the reports generated automatically after every test session. Such bug reports are clear and guiding, since they contain full information about the executed tests and come with the screenshots or screencasts.
Cooperation Options
Don’t hesitate to ask about your options. If you don’t have enough tasks for a full-time partnership, is part-time cooperation discussed and vice versa? Does a company work with one-time projects? Is there a chance to change a model of engagement later if necessary? A flexible approach to cooperation is always a good sign.
Check a Company’s Background Before Signing a Contract
The online presence of different test automation providers gives you a chance to look at their services from different perspectives. So, before signing the agreement, ensure that every below-mentioned point is not in doubt.
- Website. It is active and updated, the basic info about services & stuff is available, everything is explained clearly.
- Social media. Look at the company’s posts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. They can tell you more about the company’s manner of communication, values, and approach to clients.
- Case studies. Usually, you can find Case Studies on a company’s website and learn about specific projects they have worked with and challenges they have solved.
- Review platforms. Check client feedback on the independent review platforms such as Clutch & G2.
Lastly, schedule a call and discuss all the details. It is the best way to learn if a QA provider clearly understands why you need help and whether the team can offer a solution. It will take about 30 minutes over the phone but answer most of your questions and concerns.
Bottom Line
People aren’t perfect but software can be. A good AQA provider can help you achieve that. There is no perfect formula for choosing one, but you can always start with a list of criteria from this article.
Hopefully, these recommendations will be helpful when you begin the search for a test automation company. And make sure to include QA Madness on your list😉