Testing is important, but it's even more important for your testing to be in-house. Why? Read on!
It’s not uncommon for companies to outsource parts of their development process. In fact, you would be surprised to know that some big software companies (you definitely know them) use third-party vendors to test parts of their software application. There’s nothing wrong with it - frankly, we’re pleased that people are testing their software at all! However, it’s not the most effective way to do it. Sure, as sellers of an intelligent test automation platform, we might be biased. But we truly believe that an in-house QA team boosts ROI, expands test coverage, eliminates bottlenecks, and helps you achieve quality-first software. Here’s why!
The software industry likes growth, and speed - faster development, faster deployment, and faster software. One of the most sustainable ways to stay on top of speed in software development is by integrating CI/CD practices. At Virtuoso, we believe that software QA should be just as continuous as CI/CD. Organizations should be able to test code at any interval, at any time, by anyone in the team to achieve true CI/CD and deploy whenever necessary. This is only possible with an in-house QA team that is involved in the SDLC and has complete oversight over the authoring, maintenance, and execution of test cases for an application. Virtuoso’s platform is easy for anyone to understand and use, which means testers are able to involve developers, business analysts, and even roles like UX designers for a more comprehensive, inclusive product development process and true continuous deployment.
Whether by your choice or theirs, what happens if your external test provider needs to be changed? Can the test cases you’ve paid for be duplicated and reused by another provider, or will you have to invest in a whole new set of test cases for your specific application? There are so many testing tools available today that you can hardly limit an external test provider to your preferred set of tools. Many times, companies aren’t even aware of the tools that their external software testing vendor is using at all. By using Virtuoso, you can ensure that anyone in your business can access, author, and maintain test cases at any time - regardless of staff turnover, changes in your software application, or altered requirements.
With a third-party testing provider, there is less control over testing guidelines. Yes, it’s nice to have an unbiased party test your application but the same can be achieved in-house through black-box testing and end-to-end user tests. While you can provide the external testers with a set of requirements, deliverables, and acceptance criteria for each test case, any documentation sent over will have to be highly accurate - as in pretty much 100% correct. Those of you who work with documentation know how difficult that is…
With an in-house team, testers are able to verify any requirements quickly by simply checking in with the product manager. And what’s more, QA testers are able to join the process while requirements are created for an even better understanding of what should be tested (by the way, that’s called shifting left!) With Virtuoso, intelligent test automation can be initiated as soon as your BDD requirements are in place.
Once your third-party testers return your application, do you receive a full report of their activities? Or do you get some fragmented pieces of feedback pointing out bugs and critical issues? We’re not saying external testing is incorrect - it’s a useful mechanism to help you out in a tight spot and it’s great to eliminate everything and just focus on the priority issues, we agree. However, better insight into what tests have been run, where, and how, along with the results for those, is always useful.
Virtuoso’s sophisticated AI capabilities are accompanied by extensive reporting capabilities that allow you to understand what tests have been run, where they failed, and how they can be auto-healed with just the click of a button. Test execution results can be monitored in real time, and Virtuoso even maintains a version history of both system and user changes so that anyone on the team can track progress, audit testing processes, and perform rollbacks. While these features might be regarded as ‘nice-to-haves’, we consider them to be essential. Instant oversight of your app and testing processes allows you to forecast more accurate release timelines, discover hidden issues, and ensure constant team communication to avoid bottlenecks. Isn’t it about time that you actually have all those ‘nice-to-haves’?
Yes, external testers do their best to understand your application and test as much as possible (at least, we hope they do!). No, they’ll never understand your application as well as you and your team do (or should - we hope you understand your application!). An in-house QA team creates continuity not only in your testing but also in the way you communicate across departments. As we know, communication is increasingly important in software development to assure the best possible collaboration and avoid testing inertia. When everyone involved in the testing process is on the same page and working towards the same goals, in line with the company’s culture and working environment, magic happens!
Traditionally yes, in-house QA teams can be costly. However, solutions like Virtuoso make it easy for companies to put a quality-first software test solution in place without acquiring additional staff, and with no upskilling or ramp-up time. For example, Coaching.com had one manual tester and a huge workload of testing, making it very difficult to scale their testing strategy for full test coverage. With Virtuoso, their sole tester was able to create 19 workflows that cover more than 150 processes! They now run daily regression suites and have fully automated test plans for end-2-end processes that cover the majority of their core application workflows. You can read more about their experience with Virtuoso here. And remember, you don’t always need a dedicated tester - Virtuoso can easily be used by developers and even product managers.
Of course, there are many arguments in favor of external testing vendors but let’s put aside our differences and talk about what we can do for you. Virtuoso is ready to equip you with a reliable, robust intelligent test automation platform that puts quality first and shows returns on investment within the first few weeks. Book your free demo to find out more - we’d be happy to take you through it and show you exactly how valuable an in-house QA team with Virtuoso can be!
