One of the consequences of the current economic climate is that companies will look to reduce their fixed costs through outsourcing. This paper takes a wider, strategic view of the potential benefits of outsourcing beyond variabilisation of costs: resource flexibility, improved quality and improved time to market.
We consider a process for establishing an effective outsourcing relationship.

• Agree the strategic goals in an appropriate forum and share them with your supplier.
• Decide what type or stage of testing to outsource.
• Identify your preferred outsourcing model and location.
• Assess your readiness for outsourcing.
• Select your partner or partners.

The paper describes the key considerations at each step and gives advice on how to make the right decisions.
The paper next considers the management and governance of the outsource relationship: the key structures and processes needed for effective management of the client-supplier relationship.
The paper considers the challenges specific to the outsourcing of software testing, giving practical advice (based on experience) on how to maximise strategic advantage.

Dr Mike Bartley gained a PhD in Logic at Bristol University and an MSc in Software Engineering and MBA with the Open University. More recently he has added ISEB Practitioner Testing Qualifications in both Test Management and Test Analysis. Mike has been involved in software and hardware development for 20 years, including outsourcing, and regularly writes articles and delivers conference papers. He recently established his own consultancy to help companies in product QA and outsourcing.