Improving Software Quality Through Offshore Software Testing

Quynh Pham | 23/09/2024

Improving Software Quality Through Offshore Software Testing

From agile start-up tech companies to large enterprises, every software must go through rigorous testing to ensure the app is error-free and delivers a seamless user experience before launching. One such highly effective way to maintain top-tier quality is through offshore software testing. By outsourcing the testing process to professional teams in other countries, organizations can tap into numerous benefits, from cost efficiency to access to tax incentive policies.

In this blog, we’ll explore what offshore software testing entails, its key advantages and limitations, and when it’s the ideal solution for your business.

Key Takeaways:

Offshore software testing involves outsourcing the testing phase of software development to a remote team.
Offshore testing services are cost-efficient, providing a near-continuous testing cycle, shorter time to market, access to a global talent pool, and in-house workload relief. However, there might be problems with communication and work quality.
Offshore QA teams are a great choice if you have tight deadlines, a complex project, and fluctuating project demands.

What Is Offshore Software Testing?

Offshore software testing is the practice of outsourcing the testing phase of software development to a team located in a different country. This model lets companies leverage the expertise of specialized quality assurance teams in remote locations to perform a broad range of tests, such as functional, regression, and usability testing.

Offshore testing includes the standard testing cycle: planning, executing, and reporting test results – while accommodating time zone differences. This enables continuous testing and faster turnaround times.

Offshore software testing services allow businesses to focus on quality assurance without maintaining an in-house team, often reducing costs and providing access to global talent.

Offshore Software Testing Vs. Onshore Software Testing

Before further discussing why offshore testing services might or might not be a good choice, it helps to first understand how it differentiates from onshore software testing.

Onshore software testing typically means outsourcing testing processes to a company within the same city or country. But geographical locations aren’t the only difference between an offshore QA team and an onshore QA team.

	Onshore Testing	Offshore Testing
Cost	- Higher costs, especially when considering operational costs in developed countries - A QA tester in the US can expect to make $82,084 in total pay annually, with an average salary of $75,321.	- Lower costs as labor costs are lower in offshore locations - Offshore testers deliver high-quality QA testing services while providing cost-effective solutions
Time Zone Differences	- Testing teams are in the same city or country, so they’re often sharing the same or similar time zone. - Faster response to issues and real-time communication	-Offshore testing teams may offer a 24-hour testing cycle. -Time zone differences might lead to communication challenges
Communication	The same culture and language lead to smoother communication	Differences in culture and language might lead to communication challenges and misunderstandings. However, most offshore teams now have strong English skills to solve this problem
Access to Specialized Talent Pool	- Can only recruit from the local talent pool - Might lack specialized skills or talents	- Can only recruit from the local talent pool - Might lack specialized skills or talents
Level of Control	- Direct control - Face-to-face meetings	- Need communication policies in place to overcome location and time challenges - Need project management effort
Team Scalability and Commitment	- Harder to scale up or down rapidly - Might involve long-term commitments	- Easier to scale offshore teams based on the project demands - More advantageous for short-term projects or fluctuating testing demands
Data Security and Compliance	- Suitable for projects with sensitive information - Advantages in adhering to local data security	- Need to verify security policies and relevant certificates - Compliance with international security standards.

Pros of Offshore Testing Services

The comparison table above briefly mentions some key strengths of partnering with an offshore software testing company. This part is going to dig deeper into this aspect.

Saving Costs

The top reason businesses opt for an offshore software testing team is cost savings. A 2023 research by Zippia has found that 59% of the respondents cite outsourcing as a cost-efficient approach. This is achieved due to the lower labor costs in offshoring countries, e.g., Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam or the Philippines. The same research showed that US businesses can reduce labor costs by 70% to 90% by outsourcing to foreign countries. Another significant cost savings factor is the tax, benefits, and office spaces, as the offshoring business has taken care of the matter for you.

Improved Software

When partnering with the right team of offshore developers, you can rest assured of the quality of services. Offshore QA teams offer high-quality services with years of experience. 78% of businesses have positive experiences with their outsourcing partner. As an independent organization testing your services, your team will receive unbiased feedback after having the product tested across multiple platforms and devices.

Access to Large and Specialized Talent

According to a survey conducted by IDC, around two-thirds of North American IT leaders have reported that a shortage of skills has resulted in missed revenue growth, quality issues, and low customer satisfaction. It also revealed that The IT skills crisis is predicted to impact over 90% of global organizations by 2026, potentially leading to $5.5 trillion in losses.

Outsourcing is a great solution to this problem. No longer being restricted to local talents – which might lack the specialized talents you’re looking for, an offshore testing team will provide you with the experts that you need.

Shorter Time-to-Market

You can use time zone difference to your advantage with offshore testing QA services. While your in-house team is working on the development possess, the offshore team works on testing processes. This creates a near-continuous testing cycle, ultimately resulting in a shorter time-to-market. Being one of the first businesses to speed to market matters, you can gain an important market advantage.

In-house Workload Relief

Having offshore QA engineers take care of the testing process, the in-house team can focus on the development process and other core business operations. This contributes to better software quality and faster time-to-market.

Support from The Government

Governments recognize the benefits of offshore services. This is why they offer numerous incentives to attract Western companies as clients. From favorable taxation policies to comprehensive legal support for both vendors and clients, these popular offshore QA testing services destinations invest in their technological ecosystems, striving to become global tech hubs. For example, the Vietnamese government is committed to offering several incentives, including:

Corporate Income Tax (CIT) incentives, which include preferential tax rates and tax holidays for both foreign and local investors, significantly reduce the tax burden for businesses.
Economic zones with additional benefits like improved infrastructure and access to talent attract industries needing specialized labor or easy port access.

Flexibility

Businesses can choose from various outsourcing models, each offering different levels of flexibility to suit their specific needs. Common outsourcing business models might be location-based (onshore, nearshore or offshore), pricing-based (time-and-material model, fixed price model, incentive-based model), and the list goes on. The right model not only supercharges the project but also allows businesses to quickly scale up or down as needed.

With an array of choices, it is best to directly consult professionals before deciding to hire offshore testing team.

Cons of Offshore Testing

Despite the numerous benefits when you hire offshore QA team, there are still some limitations to be aware of.

Communication and Language Barrier

As you’ll be working with a team from an entirely different country, there’ll be a language barrier. Even though most offshore services are fluent in English, there might still be difficulties in explaining technical details.

Another challenge you might encounter is cultural differences. This directly affects communication styles, decision-making processes, and how conflicts are resolved. Let’s take communication styles as an example.

The U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands are direct communication cultures. This means they encourage clear and concise expression of opinions, even if critical, such as disagreements, such as “I disagree because this is inefficient.”
Southeast Asia countries or Japan are indirect communication cultures. Subtle language is used to avoid conflict or offense, like expressing interest in alternative options, such as “Let’s take time to sit on this idea.”

Time Zone Differences

Time zone differences can facilitate near-constant testing cycles, but they undoubtedly cause some challenges. The 8 to 13-hour differences rarely allow for any live communication, which can cause delays and frustration.

Low-level Workers

Outsourcing services have always been viewed as a tool to help businesses cut costs. However, if businesses constantly go for the company with the lowest fee possible, they might receive sub-standard quality of work. Hence, make sure to work with offshore services with a proven track record and offshore QA expertise. Going back and forth to fix issues due to low quality of work might result in unforeseen hidden costs.

To avoid these issues, make sure you have a strategic approach to how to choose the right software outsourcing company.

When Should You Opt for Offshore Software Testing?

Offshore software testing is a great strategy to accelerate and elevate a software development project. However, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, as there are other factors involved, including the project’s requirements, goals, and preferences. Software testing services might be the best choice for your organization in the following cases:

Your team is working on a large and complicated development project that demands extensive testing for success
There are tight deadlines that limit in-house testing capacity.
When you want to prioritize and focus on core competencies and have QA experts take care of technical details.
When you want to adopt the latest trends in the tech industry and stay competitive.

Outsource Software Testing: Relieve the Pressure, Accelerate Success

All in all, offshore software testing helps you lift off a huge burden from your team while being a cost-friendly, efficient, and high-quality software solution. By partnering with skilled Orient Software quality assurance experts, you can streamline your process and focus on what matters most—building great software. Ready to experience the impact? Contact Orient Software today and take your development to the next level!

Topics: Software Testing