A Framework for Managing Software Testing Outsourcing Projects

Abstract

Software testing aims to ensure that the software produced is reliable and able to function correctly. In order to do so, the testing execution requires experts and technology that might not be available within an organisation. Therefore, shifting to outsourcing for testing is one preferred option. This alternative provides benefits such as testing expertise, costs and time reduction, better testing technology and high-quality software products. Translating these benefits into practice has, however, proved challenging. Some testing outsourcing projects have failed outright. These projects either exceed the specified time or the allocated budget or failed to deliver the anticipated quality. This paper therefore intends to address this concern by providing guidance in managing software testing outsourcing projects in the form of a framework based on identified success factors. Previous studies have collected the success factors from theoretical and empirical perspectives. The investigation continues by ratifying the factors via software testing and project management experts from both the client and vendor sides. In order to develop the framework, this study adopted a qualitative approach, in which semi-structured interviews were employed to confirm the factors. The data were then analysed using content analysis. The framework consists of two aspects, namely People and Process. Four factors make up the People aspect, while another ten constitute the Process aspect. Each factor contains elements, which represent either the roles that should be played or activities that should be conducted. This framework contributes to the understanding of conducting successful software testing outsourcing projects. It could also act as a reference for future research in the software testing domain.