QASource Blog

All companies, whether they are a startup or an established company, should invest in some form of testing. Since QA engineers are trained in destructive engineering practices, investing in testing allows companies to be aware of the risks up front and get the right coverage. Everyone has their own opinion of what QA for a startup should look like, however, and the amount of differing opinions gives rise to many misconceptions. Here we’re clearing up 6 of the most common misconceptions about startup QA.

One of the main challenges startups face is accomplishing critical functions when there isn't enough money, resources or time to staff properly. While it's inevitable that members of a startup wear some different hats, there comes a point when it's unsustainable to continue doing this at every level if the organization wants to grow. It makes more sense to outsource. But which functions does it make sense to contract out? Let's look at 5 areas.

Outsourcing QA has become a popular option for many organizations, particularly for startups, but there is still much confusion around how effective and efficient it can be. Let’s dispel 7 of these common myths about outsourcing QA for startups!

It’s imperative that startups move with speed in releasing new products and features to get them into customers’ hands. Most startups allocate a significant amount of funding and resources for development in order to accomplish this; likewise, many startups don’t set aside enough for QA. However, there usually comes a tipping point when it becomes necessary to really invest in QA. Let’s examine 4 scenarios that might motivate you to invest in QA.

QASource, in conjunction with Sauce Labs, recently presented the webinar "Measuring Your Way To Successful Automation." When preparing each webinar, we field a variety of questions about the topic at hand. We have coordinated with our expert automation engineers to answer several of the most common questions about team metrics and measurement approaches below:

QASource, in conjunction with Sauce Labs, recently presented a webinar titled: “Reducing False Positives in Automated Testing.” Below are answers to some of the questions that were asked before and after the webinar.

For many U.S.-based software product companies, outsourcing is a cost-effective way to retain top talent at an affordable rate. The IT sector is booming in places like India, Mexico, and South America, and companies that aren’t quite ready to hire on an in-house QA team often meet their needs with an offshore provider. Inevitably, challenges arise. How do the teams stay in communication? How does the outsourced QA team learn the company, product, and working culture? In short, how do we make this arrangement work?

What happens when you can’t accurately measure the cost, effectiveness, and progress of a software testing project? A lot of less-than-ideal things. Projects can balloon in cost, creep in scope, fall in quality, or run on for what seems like forever. Without defined metrics attached to each QA project, they can get out of control -- and this scenario is a nightmare for both the product company and their team and the testing provider and their engineers.

Many automated test scripts fail because of flaky tests, false positives or poor code. As a result, many companies are consistently updating their test scripts and having difficulty automating new features.