Outsourcing of Software and Application Testing Services: Back to the Basics

It is time to ring the bell on cost-only-focused outsourcing

If you thought cost was the only reason enterprises looked at outsourcing their software and application testing services - Think again. The year 2010 will be a year for many organizations to get back to basics in their sourcing; diligently applying best practices will be critical. Those who succumbed to cost-only-focused outsourcing in the past will need to correct course through renegotiating deals to ensure full value from outsourcing relationships, predicts Gartner.

The question that an enterprise needs to answer before zeroing in on an outsourcing partner is a no-brainer: is this the right deal or is it just the low cost-deal? Enterprises need to have a balance of cost and caution alongside other imperatives to use IT and sourcing relationships to rejuvenate growth and business competitiveness.

What enterprises need to consider beyond costs while signing up to an outsourcing partner include high end of sophistication, scalability, scope, discipline, proven track record, domain knowledge, maturity of the service provider, focus on efficiency and standardization, etc.

Getting a truly independent view, or cost savings or access to testing expertise or faster time to market -The reasons for considering outsourcing of testing could be all or some of these but the ultimate goal is improved software quality. In short an enterprises' focus should be on long-term gains while mitigating risks.