Lower costs, specialized designers, and rare skills sets are among the reasons companies consider working with outsourced product developers. But there are differences between working with these vendors versus the traditional enterprise software solution vendors you may be used to. Here are six qualities to look for when making your selection.

Mind maps work well for planning the test strategy and monitoring project status. Mind-mapping software makes all this easy, and the visual presentation keeps everyone in the loop. Ritinder Kaur shows how mind maps can communicate ideas clearly and help you execute them exactly to create a comprehensive test plan.

Status accounting is following the evolution of a configuration item through its lifecycle. Using application lifecycle management along with agile helps prevent mistakes, but lets you have the minimum amount of red tape; the team achieves an acceptable velocity without being unduly burdened with too much process.

Today’s tester has moved upstream, along with the test processes, where he is involved right from the product design stages. This can create great opportunities for the team to bond, but if not handled well, it can become a breeding ground for strained relations. Adopting DevOps means promoting collaboration.