“TESTCo provided staff with strong technical skills and the personality to propose creative solutions without waiting for direction.”
-Guy Lipof
Senior Programme Manager, Lombardi Software

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why TESTCo? Because Software Testing is The Only Work We Do. We Have to be Good.


The TESTCo Difference

We've spent the last seven years refining a system that will provide you with actionable results from the very first day that you start testing.  Our approach goes beyond just delivering bugs.  We take great care to hire QA Managers and Test Engineers who are passionate about delivering results and value.

We pull all this together into a testing process that fits tightly with your organization -

  • Together, we establish a monthly, weekly and daily testing plan
  • Testing activities can occur over night or during the day
  • We access your application and data over a secure internet connection or installed in our secure labs


Mastering The Channels of Communication

In order to make sound business decisions, you need to have clear information about the status of your software.  To meet this pressing demand, we provide you with Daily Activity Report each morning so that you can take any necessary actions immediately.  If you have questions, you'll get direct answers from your QA Manager.

A key benefit to having a QA Manager is communication.  From the outset, you'll have Weekly Status Meetings where you'll get straight talk from our QAM to insure that we are delivering according to your plan.

One of the biggest headaches in outsrouced management is that dreaded call in the middle of the night.  You won't ever have to take one of those while working with us.  You QA Manager is "on call" 24 hours a day, seven days a week to make sure that outsourced team doesn't have stoppages.  Every night, the QAM sets up the team's testing priorities.  Only when the testing team has fallen back on their B, C and D priorities do they pick up the phone.


Delivering On Our Promises - Every Day.  Every Quarter.  Every Year.

Of course testing is abou the quality of your product, so we make sure that we're delivering on our promises.  Once a quarter, your QAM will conduct a survey to get your feedback and define your goals for the next quarter.


Don't Choose An Offshore Team Until You've Read This

Before you chose a partner, you should learn everything you can about the details of offshoring.

Luckily, your education on this site doesn't cost you anything. But an ineffective partnership could cost you your business. Your goal should be to approach a vendor as an educated business partner.

Below you'll find an outline of the most common complaints about offshore services. We believe that we've solved them, and you can read how. If you choose a different partner, we want you to have all of the data that you need to make an informed and rational decision.


Offshore Communication Is Unclear And Inconsistent

"My offshore vendor said they understood me. They disappeared for a week and brought back something that was nothing like my requirements. I could never get a straight answer from them."

Does that sound familiar to you? We've heard it from disgruntled executives and QA Managers alike who have experienced failed projects.

The fact of the matter is that you're dealing with a different culture, whose native language isn't English. You're going to get indirect responses and misused terms. Be prepared for a steep learning curve on your side as well as theirs. That's your first hurdle.


Offshore Turnover Destroys Momentum And Knowledge Transfer

Why is turnover so bad in the offshore business?

The story is really no different across the world as it is in the United States-exceptional people don't grow on trees. With a booming job market overseas, talented people gravitate towards money and benefits.

As a rule, every good offshore company has a system for managing turnover. The key thing for you to understand from your partner is how they do it.

But be careful. There are ways of hiding turnover. Find out how you prevent the effects of turnover .


Time Zones Make Management Impossible

There are several factors that make managing an offshore team difficult. Some people have trouble with language and culture. Others stumble over the constant replacement of team members.

But the earth spins on its access at 1038 miles an hour and your team is still on the other side of the planet. You can lose a full day just by answering general questions. If you want to talk with your coworkers, someone is going to be up late at night-either you or them.

That is, of course if you don't have a QA Manager that can take care of all the management. Quite a few companies have started using "on-site" employees to manage the gap. We were one of the first to use a local QA Manager, and we think there's a difference.

Learn more about how local QA Managers eliminate the back and forth .


There's No Time To Build Trust

If you understand the benefits and the pitfalls of offshore services, you stepped into to trusting yourself with the right decision. Once you've chosen a reputable partner, you should be confident that you've made a responsible and measured choice.

But there's another way to build trust with your team-experience. It takes time do develop a good working relationship with someone. When you make the final choice make sure its for the long haul. Choose right and you'll reap the rewards of an unfair advantage. Choose wrong and you'll be looking again in 6 months or a year.

Find out how you can make the right choice the first and only time .

 

When You Need a Full Testing Toolbox to Match the Job

To make your testing go smoothly, we come to your project with a full toolkit of testing applications. If you are already using your own software, we will match it so the transfer is seamless. If you haven't chosen a tool yet, we will advise you on the best fit based on your needs.

This is not an exhaustive list. Technology changes rapidly and we are always investigating new products. If you don't see the product that you are already using, please let us know. We'll be sure to add it to our skill-set.

 

Areas of Testing Expertise

  • Functional and Matrix Testing
  • Manual and automated regression testing
  • Test Automation using your tools or ours
  • Test strategies, planning and creation
  • Internationalization and localization testing
  • Stress, load and performance testing

Application and Domain Expertise

  • CRM - Seibel, Trilogy, Oracle
  • ERP - Oracle, J.D. Edwards, PeopleSoft, SAP
  • EAI - TIBCo, Weblogic, Websphere, DataJunction, MQSeries
  • Finance, Banking, Insurance
  • Web Services - EDI, RosettaNet, XML, SOAP

Operating Systems

  • Win32 - 9x/NT/2000/XP
  • Linux - Redhat, Fedora, Debian, Mandrake, Suse
  • Unix - AIX, Solaris, HP-UX
  • Apple - Mac OS 9 - 10

Browsers

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Netscape
  • Mozilla
  • Firefox
  • Opera
  • Konquerer

Languages

  • English
  • German
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Russian

Programming Languages

  • Java
  • C/C++
  • Visual Basic

Scripting Languages

  • Python
  • Perl
  • Shell Scripts
  • PHP
  • ASP
  • Javascript
  • JSP

Web Technologies

  • J2EE
  • XML
  • EJB
  • JMS
  • SOAP

Automated Testing Tools

  • Silk Test
  • WinRunner
  • Rational Robot
  • eTester
  • QA Run
  • Test Companion
  • QuickTest
  • JUnit, JTest, JProbe

Load and Performance Testing Tools

  • Silk Vision/Performer
  • LoadRunner
  • Diesel Test
  • OpenSTA
  • Velometer
  • Rational Robot
  • Webload
  • Astra Load Test

Test Management Tools

  • Test Director
  • Silk Plan
  • MS Project
  • Test Link

Defect Tracking Tools

  • Bugzilla
  • Silk Radar
  • eDesk
  • Heat
  • Scarab
  • Astra Fast Trak

Memory Leak Testing Tools

  • JProbe
  • Rational Purifier

Configuration Management Tools

  • CVS
  • VSS
  • PVCS
  • CMVC
  • Rational Clearcase

Databases

  • Oracle
  • MySQL
  • Microsoft SQL
  • Postgres
  • Sybase
  • Microsoft Access

Application Servers

  • Apache
  • IIS