Here’s Why India is Dominating QA Outsourcing

Product companies save big bucks by outsourcing their software testing to regions where the costs are cheap and the resources are skilled. Some of the popular destinations include Mexico, China, South America and India. Each one of these options has its own unique set of pros and cons, and you’ll have to consider each carefully before making a choice.
But for our money, there’s no beating India. Here are just a few of the top reasons why India is leading the charge in offshore IT services and QA outsourcing:

Government-Backed Tech Sector

The Indian government recognizes the long-term profitability of the tech industry, and it invests a lot of money to make engineering an attractive career choice for young, talented students. The National IT Task Force was created to help advocate for enhanced STEM programs in schools and promote the idea of technology as a gratifying, well-paying career choice. Tech receives generous subsidies from the government to help aid expansion.

Bang for Your Buck

There’s a lot of raw talent in India, but there’s also a dedication to high-quality service and plenty of business acumen. The IT industry is nothing new, so the top QA outsourcing providers are seasoned in their craft and they have the technological infrastructure to take on projects of all sizes. They know client needs, how to onboard quickly and how to ramp-up rapidly to fit within project timelines.
The best part? This expertise and dedication is available at a fraction of the cost of comparable nearshore or U.S.-based service. It just can’t be beat -- especially if you require flexibility and the scale/downsize your teams often.

Clear Communication, Always India has been the go-to tech services destination for large American tech firms and other corporate clients for a long time, so English fluency is par for the course. As an added bonus, QA teams in India are often composed of domain experts, so test engineers will be able to discuss product issues in your parlance.

Test providers also have access to a huge range of communication tools, including phone conferencing, demos with screen sharing, chat services, secure email and just about any other service you can imagine.
As you start your search for the right QA provider, consider your project needs. We think that most of them can be met by an outsourced team in India -- a veteran in the game by now.

Finding the True Value in Offshore Quality Assurance

The money saved by outsourcing QA is evidence enough for many software companies -- no need to expand on the lengthy list of benefits. But if you’re still unconvinced, rest assured: the benefits are there and they are a potent form of persuasion.

Offshore Quality Assurance

For us, the true value of partnering with an offshore QA provider is not only about cost savings. It’s about the talent that’ll be joining your on-site team, the cultural emphasis and respect for great QA and the productivity and flexibility it adds to your SDLC.

Let’s break down that list and unpack the real advantage of offshore quality assurance:

The Right Stuff: Culture, Skills & Experience U.S.-based QA engineers are out there, but many are on their way to coding as a career. Culturally, QA is treated like a bridge in the U.S. However, in popular outsourcing destinations like India, QA is highly regarded and sought after as a desirable career path. The IT sector receives generous subsidies from the government and marketing campaigns help aid in the recruitment of the top engineering talent.

Staying the course with QA allows offshore engineers to develop rare, hard-to-find skill sets that are rare nearshore: extensive automation experience, cross-platform skills and much more. Seasoned engineers also gain experience across different domains, consistently working on products in the healthcare, legal, retail and financial space. Rich domain knowledge helps engineers find and fix common problem areas and communicate issues clearly, using specific terminology.

Communication and Team Extension
There is a built-in compromise with offshore quality assurance: you’re far, far away from the team that’s doing your testing. This means no daily stand-up meetings, no quick check-ins between the QA and development teams and no cultural cohesion. Or does it?

Outsourced QA has been around long enough that providers have learned to adapt and become a true extension of the onsite team. The best providers coach engineers to learn the client’s product inside and out -- in some cases, better than the developers that created it! This vigilant approach helps offshore engineers get a clear understanding of the onsite team’s coding process and close the gap between teams.

Thanks to rapidly improving communication technology, teams can attend daily calls to discuss project progress, weekly calls to address any issues and retrospective meetings to discuss what worked and what must be focused on moving forward.

Improved Onsite Productivity
Do you have your developers doing double duty by testing as they code? Or is your in-house team of QA engineers stretched much too thin? These are two approaches that may work for a short time, but are unsustainable in the long run.

With testing in the hands of an offshore team, your team will breathe a sigh of relief and focus on the more direct and pressing needs of your product: new features, effective project management and growth! Outsourcing allows you to redirect resources in a way that best serves your product and unique team structure.

Nobody ever complains about a slashed testing budget. But as we’ve shown here, value is about more than saved costs -- it’s about making a choice that improves all aspects of your software testing approach, from engineer skill-sets to the way your teams communicate.