Independent Software Testing: the Way to a Perfect Product

Each IT-company deals with the product’s efficiency problem in its own way. Depending on project size, any development team usually includes one or two skilful testers. However, when stakes are too high to fail, some fresh look could come in handy. One of the most popular solutions appears to be independent testing.

Here’s Some More on Independent Testing

Independent testing service includes measures to control the quality of software products on an independent software vendor platform. Development and production of complex software is a complicated process, which places a heavy responsibility on a developer. You need the cooperation of several project teams to achieve the desired result and the quality of the product.

In this case, independent testing is a part of the software development process and often allows to find major bugs on early stage of coding, which makes it possible to eliminate them in time. It is also a common thing to test any off-the-shelf product to get an independent quality check. However, a post-release bug check naturally would cost considerably more than the pre-release one. We suggest evaluating any risks in advance and including the independent testing in your list of estimated expenses.

Let’s Get To the Core.

The basic idea of independent testing is separating the developers from quality control experts.

This approach increases the testers’ efficiency, which significantly reduces some risks that might be associated with poor testing performance.

The head of development department doesn’t necessarily indicate main areas of testing, although he knowns the bottlenecks of the product. Independent test engineers look at the finished software product from different perspectives and act on their own. At the end of testing process, company will present a thoroughly debugged and high-quality solution, so independent evaluation seems to be an economically advantageous strategy.

Pros and Cons.

The benefits of independent testing consist of:

• A significant reduction of time required for software development and testing.
• Reduction of costs by necessary working hours cut.
• Ability to find new solutions and apply new technologies in the field of quality control.
• A fresh look at the product and an independent pre-release expert evaluation.
• As a result - high-quality software and smoother UX.

However, we should also consider possible risks that may arise. For example, substandard testing could significantly increase the expense of software development. In many areas, the cost of failure is sufficiently high (e.g. banking and finance, transportation, health, energy). Non-working software even in a small company is able to paralyze the whole working process. Business loses time, potential customers, and as a result, profit.

Choosing Your Dream Team.

Let's say after reading this post you’ll decide that independent testing is exactly what you need. But how to find testers perfect for YOUR project? Easiest and least risky way is to contact the company specializing on independent testing services. Here are the most common criteria for selecting a suitable company:

1.Professional experience. 5 years or more would probably fit almost any project. This surely doesn’t mean that other companies may be less professional; they just may not have enough experience, particularly in the testing of large-scale projects.

2.A wide range of services. The ability to perform various types of testing shows that the company's staff is composed of specialists in different areas, thus improving the quality of any complex products.

3.Transparency in the process of testing, documentation, communication and evaluation. Properly documented quality control process indicates a professional approach. The detailed assessment of time and money on testing will give a more accurate understanding of the possibilities of independent experts.

4.Modern testing equipment makes it clear that the company investing in its professional growth, using up-to-date devices and tools for testing.

5.Similar project cases. As independent experts are already familiar with the features of your product, their experience could significantly reduce the testing time spent on testing.

Additionally you should always pay attention to staff skills, other ISTQB certifications, andit can't hurt to try out the team you would like to work with through a small test job. Your products deserve to be as perfect as they could be, so you must be 100% sure in choosing the right crew!

Looking into the future.

Every year more and more developers face with shortage of skilled labor, high rates of development and frequent changes in software requirements. The complexity of software products has been increasing, and the methods and standards development don’t keep pace with the requirements of the modern market. That is why the search for new non-standard solutions gain momentum and become a global, actively engaging in outsourcing development and testing process. Independent testing becomes increasingly popular service and takes on new forms, adapting to new realities.