QA as a Service: Accelerating Software Quality with Outsourced Expertise
Businesses should focus on the secondary definition of quality. Let us explain.
- Quality’s first meaning – the benchmark of something compared to similar entities.
- Quality’s second meaning – a unique trait exhibited by someone or something.
From these notions, you can see that quality can be either a standard or an exceptional feature. And in the modern IT market, which option would grant your company lasting success?
Organizations that want to stand out and become industry leaders should strive to exceed the limitations the conventional concept of quality puts on them. And doing so isn’t as complicated as you might think. You just need expert QA services.
Understanding Quality Assurance as a Service
Quality assurance as a service (QAaaS) is a model of software quality assurance where firms outsource their testing and QA activities to third-party service providers. So instead of going through the potential hurdles of selecting and working with QA engineers, you let an experienced QA company take care of it all.
Key Characteristics of QAaaS
The most prominent attribute of QA is certainty. Certainty in your team productivity, software improvement, and business efficiency. All achieved with the QAaaS value bundle.
- On-demand QA resources – minimize the time for interviewing and selecting specialists. QA service providers have pre-vetted readily available professionals.
- Ample testing infrastructure – unlock versatile skillsets and technologies of outsourced QA to deliver remarkable results.
- Scalability and flexibility – scale your QA efforts up or down based on project requirements, paying for the exact testing services you expect.
- Strong expertise and domain knowledge – benefit from specialized testing professionals with experience in various domains and testing methodologies.
- Cost-effectiveness – no need to invest in hiring and management of an in-house QA team. You can contract an external QA company to handle all your testing needs.
- Reporting and analytics – make data-driven decisions and create a powerful knowledge base with QAaaS providers’ detailed reports and analytics on test results.
- Focus on core business activities – concentrate on your core business activities and product development, leaving the testing responsibilities to dedicated experts.
- Advanced quality – use the fresh perspective of outside specialists to refine your product.
These elements don’t exist in a vacuum. If you decide to collaborate with a reliable QA provider, you are bound to profit from all the benefits combined.
QAaaS vs Traditional QA & Testing Services
In today’s business realities, QAaaS has become not only a much-needed help for startups and corporations, but also a strategic advantage. With the inflation, energy crisis, geopolitical tensions (and many more, sadly), tech projects’ financing is, to put it mildly, under pressure. So many choose to step away from traditional (aka in-house) QA and bank on QAaaS.
Testing Model
- Traditional QA – organizations have an in-house QA team responsible for planning, executing, and managing testing activities.
- QAaaS – has external service providers specializing in specific areas of software testing. These providers offer on-demand access to testing expertise and resources.
Cost Structure
- Traditional QA – involves fixed costs, including salaries, benefits, and infrastructure expenses for the in-house QA.
- QAaaS – operates on a more flexible cost model, where companies pay for software testing services as needed, without the overhead of maintaining a full-time QA team.
Expertise & Specialization
- Traditional QA – engineers may have general testing knowledge, but their expertise might be limited in some domains or testing methodologies.
- QAaaS – has specialized testing professionals with expertise in diverse areas, offering a more comprehensive range of testing capabilities.
Scalability & Flexibility
- Traditional QA – scales the QA team up or down based on project demands, which may be challenging and time-consuming.
- QAaaS – offers greater scalability, allowing organizations to quickly adjust testing teams to match project requirements.
Automation Integration
- Traditional QA – test automation may or may not be fully integrated into the QA process, depending on the organization’s testing strategy and expertise.
- QAaaS – includes testing automation solutions as part of the service, increasing testing efficiency and accuracy.
Focus & Core Competencies
- Traditional QA – organizations may need to divide their attention between testing activities and core business functions.
- QAaaS – lets organizations focus on their core competencies and product development by delegating testing duties to outsourced QA services.
Now, companies prefer to work with outsourced QA vendors because it offers an edge in customer experience (CX). And CX is the priority for businesses and their growth. Unlike traditional QA that often leverages best practices, QAaaS turns into the driver of quality.
Components of QA as a Service
Another reason for relying on third-party QA providers is the service spectrum. Some software testing companies don’t limit themselves to testing only. And QAaaS can cover far more than project assessment.
Software Testing
QA companies acquire only true professionals, well-versed in the techniques and details of the testing trio: manual, automated, and Ambi Testing. They can select engineers for particular SDLC demands or appoint AQA specialists to manage the quality of each software aspect.
The range of services will vary depending on your QA partner. So you will always be able to find, without exaggeration, something that is the perfect suit for your product.
Quality Assurance & Quality Control
QAaaS vendors can help you build a robust QA department from scratch, optimize your current processes, and upskill engineers. Regardless of your company’s type, team size, and stage of product development, you can always trust quality assurance professionals to take testing to the next level.
Team Enhancement
Outsourced QA services can also help enrich your team with narrowly specialized or all-around experts. Even if you are unsure what position would benefit your product, a comprehensive analysis can pinpoint exactly who can further improve team productivity. From QA leads to release managers – you can promptly find your ideal fit.
Cyber Security
Digital safety is a number one priority for any business. Cyber security is often defined as a separate competency due to the expertise needed to “build a titanium shield” around your assets. QA companies have such specialists available or collaborate with trusted cyber security providers. They can quickly and precisely match experienced professionals to your product.
QA Consulting & Education
When you want to upgrade your current QA department’s effectiveness, QAaaS providers also offer exhaustive team development. With education programs tailored to your environments and projects, you can boost your team’s skills, upgrade their product grasp, and establish a strong base for knowledge-sharing.
Benefits QAaaS Provides
We can’t speak for all QAaaS providers. But we can present examples of advantages you get by cooperating with them based on the feedback of our clients.
- On-target approach – your software is our sole focus. We customize every aspect of our services to your project specifics to deliver outstanding outcomes.
- Configurable models of work – you are free to choose how you want to cooperate with us. Be it a full-time dedicated team or one QA expert who handles tasks at times.
- Customized expert selection – you have complete control of the expert selection process. We present our best picks, and you decide on which to settle.
- Immersiveness in the project – you can be sure of our commitment. We always begin with an in-depth analysis of project requirements and particularities and set up optimal testing activities.
- Project knowledge maintenance – you can use any documentation produced to refining SRS, training, onboarding, or improving the product.
- A full scope of QA services – you leverage the vast range of our services to maximize your business’ potential – from finding top talents to powering up cyber security practices.
And your software will get pampered by industry QA experts to elevate its quality and exceed customer expectations.
To Sum Up
To thrive in the fast-paced world of software development, companies must embrace innovation, efficiency, and high-quality results. Collaborating with QAaaS providers delivers precisely that. By leveraging the strengths of external QA teams, you can optimize their resources, increase development agility, and focus on delivering exceptional software products to customers.