How to Reduce the Cost of Software Testing?

Dinesh Thakur

20 Oct 2023

Software testing is an indispensable part of the development process. Quality Assurance (QA) plays a pivotal role in ensuring that software aligns with the key requirements so that the end product is of high quality and fulfills users’ expectations, as well as business goals.

In this blog, we will delve deep into the most important elements of software testing and strategies to reduce the time, resources, and cost associated with software testing, without compromising the quality. Let’s begin!

How Much Does Software Testing Cost?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The cost of software testing depends on the type of product. However, testing includes 15% to 25% of the total project budget. Thus, companies allocate a fixed budget for software testing from the beginning of the project.

Here are the main cost drivers in software testing -

• Size and Expertise of Testing Team

The quality of the product begins with the teams working on it. Just like you don’t want to compromise on the quality of design, you don’t want to ignore the importance and value of working with skilled testing professionals. While there are ways to work with talented software testers on budget, refusing to onboard experts for key testing roles is not one of them. You will end up spending a lot of money in the long run.

Some key positions in the software testing team include QA Leads, QA Engineers, Testing Engineers, Software Testers, etc. The cost associated with recruiting an in-house team varies across different regions. But, taking the outsourcing route is the best cost-effective way to leverage the expertise of top QA experts.

• Type of Software Testing

Software testing is a vast field that comprises different types of tests. For example, API testing, multi-latency testing, functional testing, etc. Moreover, based on your software’s functionality and requirements, your testing needs vary. The type of testing you need will directly impact the overall testing strategy.

• Complexity of the Software

Software testing varies significantly from one project to the other. The more complicated the software, the more testing time and expertise it requires. For example, a driver app that connects drivers with riders needs to be integrated with GPS or other APIs. Besides, it is also required to calculate the fare in different areas based on demand and supply. The testing cost of each software will depend on the specific requirements.

• Defect Management

Software testing identifies, documents, monitors, and rectifies software anomalies before introducing a product or launching a new software release.

Each step included in the process carries a cost and addresses the problems detected by testing teams. Although it's impossible to eliminate all bugs, focusing on addressing the most critical ones ensures that your product is market-ready.

• Testing Infrastructure

Testing infrastructure refers to the environment that an organization establishes to carry out its Quality Assurance (QA) process. This includes both the hardware and the procedural frameworks, and adept QA pros who leverage technology to enhance operational efficiency and scalability.

If you decide to outsource QA to experts, make sure to check the testing infrastructure and how it integrates with their strategic objectives.

• Testing Tools

Quality software testing tools are a great investment as they help testing teams work more efficiently. Make sure that your outsourcing partner has access to the latest testing tools.

5 Strategies to Reduce the Cost of Software Testing

Test Early and Often

Continuous QA testing means ongoing testing at various development life cycle stages. This approach facilitates early detection of issues and creates shorter feedback loops between testing and development teams. This prevents the problems from getting bigger and ensures that complex programming isn’t added to the code.

Automate Testing over Manual Testing

Automated software testing makes developers’ lives easier by helping them work more efficiently, reducing labor costs, and saving them a lot of time. Of course, automation of software testing requires some upfront cost. But, the long-term results it offers are unbeatable. So, prioritizing automated testing over manual testing is necessary to optimize the software testing costs.

Risk-Based Testing

The risk-based approach in software testing focuses on potential risks that may affect the customer experience directly. This type of testing allows testing specific features of a software first. Generally, project managers identify potential risks before development and the agile team monitors these risks and keeps an eye on the new ones. In a nutshell, risk-based testing helps tech teams identify major software issues when they are still manageable.

API Virtualization

API virtualization helps QA managers stay ahead of the curve via functional or performance tests for virtual APIs. This, in turn, reduces the overall cost of using the 3rd party APIs. While testing for real 3rd party APIs involves some fees, virtualizing external APIs frees you from such expenses.

Outsource Software Testing

Outsourcing QA or software testing to an experienced third-party team is the best way to optimize the testing costs. Some of the top benefits include cost reduction, better efficiency, faster time-to-market, and time savings.

Do You Need Help With Software Testing?

Ditstek Innovations has years of experience delivering high-quality software products to clients across multiple industry verticals. We are a full-service software development team leveraging Agile and DevOps to ensure quality services. Whether you have a new software idea brewing, or you want to revamp your legacy application, or need QA experts to ensure the quality of your product, we have got you covered.

Contact us now to augment your software development efforts and generate tangible results.