Flexi-T&M: OnSite Testing at Offshore Price

Twice the headache for half the price; is how the growing segment of the software industry has come to in regards to outsourced and offshore business operating processes. Tired of being burned by time zone challenges? Language barriers? Inflexible contracts? Hidden costs? Loss of control and quality?

Outsourcing? Think again!

• Cost Containment: Why pay for testing services you don’t need and won’t use?
  A: Our team will work only when you need them.
• Quality: How do you know you are receiving the best talent and their best effort?
  A: You get to hand pick our consultants for your specific requirement.
• Communication, Flexibility and Leadership?
  A: We place a Software Test Lead along with the other testers’ who work in-house with your QA team.
• Control:Customers lose accountability and visibility when companies outsource their work!
  A: Flexasoft is local to Seattle, we hold accountability and visibility at all times.

The problem with outsourcing:

Cost Savings - Companies that seek to save big with an offshore testing firm are likely to pay big in the long run. While the contract may have a fixed price, the hidden costs don’t remain hidden for long. Consider the true cost of a rigid testing contract. Suppose your testing priorities change before your contract ends – think of the amount of time and effort you’ll spend to renegotiate the scope of work and get the offshore team re-focused. Are you willing to pay for downtime and other wasted offshore QA resources? Now that they have a choice, the answer for many firms is a resounding, “NO”.
Quality - If you plan on contracting with an offshore firm, be prepared to spend a significant amount of time dealing with the transfer of knowledge. Offshore firms are often hampered by extremely low retention rates, meaning the testers originally assigned to your team will likely not be there when you need them most. This naturally diminishes the overall quality of testing, as more senior members are routinely swapped out with newer team members who are unfamiliar with your application.
Communication - For those who are accustomed to communicating in a fluid, real-time manner, offshore teams have proven to be highly problematic. Time zone differences and language barriers are just two of the factors contributing to the lack of effective communication that plagues offshore firms. While causing needless delays and making it hard to adapt to on-the-fly changes in the testing cycle, such factors tend to have a spill-over effect into other areas of product development as well.
Control - Companies that contract with an outsourcing firm often find themselves on the outside looking in, when it comes to control of the day-to-day testing process. If you are comfortable handing over responsibility to the team liaison – the person who will be selecting testers, writing test scripts, setting deadlines, etc. – this may not be such a problem. But for the other 99% of us who want to maintain quality control and visibility into the testing process, an offshore firm might not be the right fit.

Flexasoft Onsite Testing Advantage: Staffed by former QA managers and executives (who’ve experienced the true costs of offshore testing first hand), Flexasoft employs an on-demand onsite testing at offshore price model, where pay only for the services they need and for the time they need. With no contracts and commitments, now there is a risk-free way that doesn’t involve any hidden costs.

Flexasoft enables its clients to choose (i.e. handpick)testers they want on their QA team– ensuring both transparency and accountability. This means, clients’ have access to testers that best matches their testing requirements, and since the testers are available on-demand, you can invite the same testers back, again and again.