Outsourcing testing inadequate.

Testing conducted during outsourcing projects is under funded and is rarely conducted thoroughly enough, according to research from consultancy IS Integration, in conjunction with the National Outsourcing Association (NOA).

The research, which surveyed 60 professionals from the outsourcing industry, found that although 93 per cent of respondents considered it a priority, almost 80 per cent of the sample believed that testing was not conducted thoroughly enough in outsourcing projects. To consolidate this viewpoint, 62 per cent of outsourcing professionals believed that insufficient financial backing was given to testing in the outsourcing space.

Comment:

These results confirm what many in the outsourcing industry have suspected for a long time. With outsourcing, many companies are under pressure to hit tight deadlines, often within a limited budget. Being wary of burgeoning costs, many try to cut corners-testing is often one of the elements that is neglected and this is usually to the detriment of the whole project. The lack of thoroughness in testing could be key to the reason why there are so many failures in outsourcing projects.

In recent times, failed outsourcing projects include the Child Support Agency, where an IT outsourcing project suffered severe set backs due to inadequate testing. Other outsourcing failures include the Department of Work and Pensions, where a Windows XP system upgrade failed due to lack of testing and the Inland Revenue, where a failure in capacity testing led to the downfall of the tax credits system. Many organisations have rushed into outsourcing without adequate testing procedures in place. Suppliers and end users alike have to ensure, for the sake of their business, that all aspects are robustly tested throughout the outsourcing lifecycle.

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