Any software release or update is impossible without quality testing to detect possible bugs. Some companies do not have testers on staff, so they resort to outsourcing to test their products. Another option may be to use quality assurance as a service (QAaaS). Below you will learn what it means and how it differs from traditional testing.
Definition and Features of QAaaS
Quality assurance as a service is one of the popular testing models. Its essence is to transfer the software testing stage to a third-party testing organization. At first glance, it resembles an outsourcing testing model but in practice, it is a separate way of conducting tests with its characteristics.
By deciding to deliver quality and best testing solutions for web apps you invite QA professional employees to complete the program examination. In the case of using QAaaS, you do not engage third-party testers into inhouse team but pay for the performance of the testing service.
Actually, the difference in payment is the key in traditional, outsourcing, and QAaaS testing approaches. If in the first two situations, you pay for the work of testers, using QAaaS you pay only for the received testing service.
Quality assurance as a service is carried out with the help of cloud tools, which in most cases guarantee fast and high-quality product testing. It can be implemented both before the initial release of the product and after the next update. It helps to reduce testing costs and speed up the release of a program or application.
Main Advantages And Disadvantages
Quality assurance as a service has numerous benefits. In addition, it can be implemented both for testing the entire product and some of its separate functionality. The basic advantages of the approach are:
- Improving the software quality. Variable cloud tools used in QAaaS help to detect even the smallest bugs, significantly increasing the quality of the program.
- Acceleration of the testing phase completion. The remote team is focused exclusively on software testing, so it can complete the examination of the program much faster than the testers on staff.
- Cost reduction. The cost of implementing QAaaS on a project is often much cheaper than hiring a large QA engineering staff.
- Ability to test the product at any time. Even if you need software quality assurance of a separate component, you can engage QAaaS quickly and at any time.
- High flexibility of the testing process organization. If you need to scale a project quickly and speed up testing, QAaaS can be a solution.
Quality assurance as a service has almost no drawbacks. However, there are a few that you may face. Their list includes:
- Unpreparedness to implement a new approach. If your workflows cannot be quickly adapted to the new way of testing, you can lose not only money but also time.
- The need for increased data protection. When you deliver testing to someone, you should be prepared for better information protection.
QAaaS Implementation Tips
Using QAaaS is cost-effective, reliable, and simple. Here are some tips that you can follow to organize testing quickly and effortlessly.
Define Objectives and Performance Indicators
Before entrusting testing to a third-party provider, you need to clearly define which elements of the software need to be tested and what the criteria for their evaluation will be. Determination of KPI is necessary for the analysis of intermediate and final test results.
Choose a Reliable Supplier for Cooperation
The organization must be experienced and provide a full range of testing services. You can make sure of the company’s high reputation by viewing customer reviews and the list of users.
Prepare the Internal Team and Work Processes
Your team should be prepared for testing to be done remotely. Consider ways of communicating, reporting, and sharing information between your team and the testing service provider.
Take Care of Data Privacy
In order to avoid third-party access to confidential information, you need to implement additional data protection methods when transferring information to the vendor. You can use additional encryption or any other security method.
Bring in AI and Automation
A professional and qualified provider will be able to help with the organization of fully or partially automated testing. It may increase the process speed and guarantee a better test result.
When QAaaS Is the Best Choice
Quality assurance as a service is relevant to many projects. In particular, it will be suitable if you:
- Don’t have your own team of QA testers.
- Need to conduct testing quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.
- Have to scale your product testing urgently.
TestFort is a company with many years of experience in the market offering a wide range of testing services. With its help, you will be able to finish testing your software quickly and efficiently.
