Speed is the main appeal when it comes to what development firms prioritise when they are developing a project for launch. Whether the project takes the form of a web platform or mobile application, the general consensus is: the sooner the launch, the better. Factor in the need for reliable user testing, and we begin to understand the stress of development teams to achieve speedy deliveries on their projects without sacrifice to quality.

Consider how quickly tech giants like Facebook and Apple work to churn out their software updates. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising to know that even the most ‘average’ tech firms are still capable of pushing out fresh projects on a weekly basis. Some firms even have the expertise and production capacity to churn out their software at an hourly rate! It’s safe to say that demand is consistently high when it comes to meeting the needs of digital audiences, so how can crowdsourced testing services help developers find a balance between speed and quality?

The quest for speed, and the price that comes with it

User testing and other QA testing processes tend to take up a significant amount of a team’s productivity, and time. Most department managers find themselves pressed for time, especially when it comes to managing different project needs of QA testing and development within the same team. It sounds comfy to be able to reach out to a colleague on the same floor, instead of having to get on the phone with a vendor to troubleshoot any development issues. However, don’t forget that creating an in-house QA testing expectation for your team only doubles their workload, and bumps up the turnaround time with each of their development projects.

An organisation’s QA testing needs depend entirely on the detail and scale of the project. And having an in-house QA team sort of implies that you will readily have speed of delivery and reliable testing for your various projects. It may seem immediately obvious for any project manager to consider traditional testing methods, when dealing with a project of a smaller scale. Despite this factor of size, how would a traditional in-house QA testing capability fare against a rushed deadline? It’s common for developers to want to get their product launched in time for market. Even with a small project, a crowdsourced testing solution could prove a more effective way to ensure scalability and speed for projects of any size.

Would your in-house QA capabilities hinder your IT department, or team of developers from achieving an otherwise speedier timeline with a big project that they are trying to deliver quickly?

A crowd of professional testers could otherwise be easily assigned to take on the specific testing needs for the different components of your project, as and when they are needed. This frees up any development efforts for your organisation, to ensure a streamlined production process that is backed by reliable testing support.

The true issue of cost with crowdsourced testing

Crowdsourced testing solutions primarily offer two benefits for organisations looking for reliable QA testing support. When you leave the QA to a crowd of professional testers, your development teams benefit through the sheer volume and diversity of demographics and devices that you find with a crowdsourced testing solution or platform.

Traditionally, plenty of department managers see using an external vendor service as an unnecessary cost. However, the irony is that keeping your QA testing capabilities in-house comes with its own fixed costs of time, and resources. If you find that you are meeting your development KPIs with an in-house team, then of course that’s great news. However, have you thought outside of these norms to consider how your existing costs could be minimised, and your productivity maximised? A crowdsourced testing solution typically provides a global pool of testers, and a wider variety of device coverage. This means that you get to increase your test coverage by up to 4 times, with the same cost you would spend if you were to stick with a traditional testing method.

Look at this from the perspective of having a ready base of QA testing freelancers on hand. When working through a vendor or managed crowdsourced testing platform, there’ll be no need for you to fuss over any staff or resource management issues. No need to weigh between workload or budget concerns. A crowdsourced testing solution provides not just volume and depth of QA testing, but also a necessity-only cost that allows you to choose how you’d like to plug any QA testing gaps that exist within your team.