Do’s and Don’ts of Crowdsourced Testing

Crowdsourced testing is an emerging trend in the field of software testing. It is an approach which involves different people with different backgrounds across the globe in testing process. The testers are connected through a crowdsourcing platform and tests are conducted by multiple individuals at different locations. It adds multiple dimensions to manual testing process by providing a diverse and temporary workforce, thus aiding the organizations with limited testing bandwidth in achieving quick results.

For quick references you may want to read our blogs which talk about Crowdsourced Testing, overcoming the challenges posed by crowdsourcing and how it is different from manual and automated testing.

This particular article talks about best practices to be followed in crowdsourced testing and avoiding basic mistakes in order to have best results.

Take a look at the following table for quick understanding of what to do and what not to do while crowdsourcing testing jobs. These points are further discussed in detail in entailing paragraphs.

What to do while crowdsourcing the testing

• Detailed Crowd Recruitment Policy

Crowdsourced testing is all about hiring the right set of people to do the job. Scouting for right talent and having a good pool of testers requires having good recruitment policy in place. There has to be a wide spectrum of people and right fit can be identified based on mix and match of the requirements like demographics and technical setup. One factor to consider is response rate of the tester based on previous interactions. Sometimes, a tester may not respond well in time, thus delaying the whole process. Such testers should not be considered for time critical projects.

• Set clear objectives and guidelines

It is important to lay out the scope of testing with proper guidelines in place. The scope may encompass new features or changes in existing features. Clear definition of scope ensures that time and efforts are channelized correctly. The guidelines will help the testers to know the specific areas to focus thus making the testing efforts productive.

• Set testing standards and define specifications

Setting up standards for testing aligned with organization level quality standards is needed to ensure that defect reporting and rectification fits seamlessly in overall quality management process. It also helps the testers in understanding the expectations of the end client (in this case the organization crowdsourcing the work).Clear set of technical specifications help in defining the test environment to be used for conducting the tests.

• Make tasks interesting and lucrative

Clear and concise task description aids the testers in performing the task with ease. Challenging tasks make work interesting and is good for crowd engagement levels. Linking the monetary and non-monetary incentives with task completion also keeps the motivation level high.

• Open channels of communication

One of the major drawbacks of crowdsourced testing is lack of communication or slack in communication. It helps to set a proper channel of communication which helps in addressing the queries the testers may have during the course of testing. If the resource pool permits, then having a dedicated point of contact for the duration of testing is a plus point. Having a dashboard ready with frequently asked questions and their answers will save time for both parties.

• Auditing by internal team

It is important to have strict audit policy in place to ensure that the testing carried out by crowdsourcing is aligned with organization standards and protocols.

What to avoid while crowdsourcing the testing

• Do not select Random Testers
  Do not select testers randomly. Any cost cutting in hiring the tester may have a direct consequence on the quality of testing.

• Do not undermine the reported bugs

Ideally every bug reported has to be carefully investigated and analysed.

• Do not delay the response to queries

Worst part of any work is waiting for the response to questions asked. If that becomes a recurring event then the testers may lose interest in the task and that will impact the productivity.

• Do not alienate the team

It is important to have the whole team on the same page regarding the crowdsourcing policies, so that they do not feel threatened with the part of the job being performed by someone else instead of the core in-house team.

Conclusion

Crowdsourcing adds an extra dimension to the quality process of the organization by facilitating feature regression testing or exploratory testing.  Hence, it is important to keep in mind the best practices involved to maximize the benefits for all the stakeholders involved.

Webomates offers a regression testing service that uses crowdsource, manual , automation and artificial intelligence testing together to guarantee all test cases (even modified ones) are executed in ONE day with exploratory testing, generating a list of prioritized defects for software teams to review and fix.

If you are interested in learning more about the services offered by Webomates then please click here and schedule a demo, or reach out to us at info@webomates.com. You can also avail a free trial by clicking here.

Tags: Crowdsource Testing, Manual Testing