TechAID
Well-integrated, Culture-driven QA and Software Testing

QA and software testing is an integral part of any software development life cycle. However, outsourcing these processes to offshore teams can lead to substantial “detachments,” not just at an operational level, but also in terms of the developers’ vision regarding their products. The low-cost talent charm of offshore outsourcing comes at the cost of huge differences at technical, cultural, and time-zone levels. “These differences have a marked impact on the ability of many offshore teams to fully understand the nuances of a project and execute it effectively,” mentions Alex Dillon, CEO and founder of New Jersey-based TechAID. For example, owing to the time difference, achieving faster turnaround means shelling out more money for supposed “overtime.” Not to mention the time and effort spent by the client to effectively communicate their ideas with the offshore teams.

In a tech-savvy and digital era where software (and its updates) rollouts ought to be in sync with rapidly evolving customer demands and technology trends (both at enterprise and consumer level), the traditional approach towards offshore QA and testing outsourcing needs to be upgraded. Various functional units of software development, including QA and testing, ought to work more closely, hand-in-hand. TechAID addresses this imperative need with its refined formula for offshore QA and testing.

TechAID’s QA and testing service delivery model banks on the vast, yet untapped talent pool in Latin American nations. Channelizing this potential in the right way helps address the time and communication-gap issues in outsourcing QA and testing to far-off service providers. TechAID introduces what they call as “distributed teams,” comprising of test engineers and specialists—from various hubs spread across Latin America—who can augment the clients’ software teams and ultimately align QA and testing initiatives with their development practices and principles. The level of flexibility and promptness of this model is unprecedented in the outsourced, offshore QA, and software testing arena. “We do specialize in testing, but our value is in the holistic process transformation and integration.

We look to integrate directly with the client, and that’s what differentiates our consultancy. We aim to blend into their culture, processes and become part of them,” adds Alex Dillon.

In an implementation highlight, TechAID was able to help one of their Latin American clients stay on the right path to success. The client had witnessed an astonishing growth rate with a good product and business model within a short span. This blistering pace of growth, however, deprived the opportunity for them to learn and mature in their processes, and the QA team took a backseat. TechAID’s consultancy helped the client to identify and fix bottlenecks in their timelines and processes. TechAID’s team of test specialists introduced automation, reduced bugs, and involved the internal staff, which ultimately resulted in the growth of the QA team. “More so, this brought about a culture change within the organization. We educated them about every member in the organization being responsible for the quality, not just the QA department,” adds Alex Dillon.

From a talent perspective, TechAID’s motto is to recruit the best-of-the-best via carefully crafted hiring process that helps them identify whether the candidate is capable enough to adapt to the varied work cultures of the company’s clientele. The candidates who get selected often have years of expertise, ready to take leadership roles. In parallel, TechAID has comprehensive, hands-on mentorship programs in place that enable the talent pool of Latin America to be experts in the field. In many ways, TechAID has carved a niche for the growth of software development and testing in the region.

Looking ahead, TechAID plans to extend its market in terms of security testing. The company will continue to identify new technologies that can bring significant advancements to diverse business verticals. As part of their innovation strategy, TechAID will also work on technologies to further streamline the integration across teams in the distributed team model. “Distributed teams are the future, and with the help of technology, our goal is to bridge the gap of culture,” adds Alex Dillon. With such comprehensive offerings in place, TechAID intends to expand not just within the U.S. and Canada but across Europe too.