QA as a service – how we optimise our deliveries
As digitalisation accelerates, there is a continuously growing demand for technical expertise. More often than not, this demand exceeds supply. The shortage of skills is challenging. And it’s not just the tech industry that is struggling. Today, more or less all organisations rely on technology and software.
System Verification meets the demands of the changing market landscape by finding new ways of working. The company still provides cutting-edge Quality Assurance expertise, but it is more and more delivered as a service. So, what does this mean? Group CEO Erik Björhäll explains.
“The short answer is that the client no longer pays for time spent by a specific individual, but rather for a set of skills. Let’s say that a client requires help with test automation, test management, agile management, product ownership and requirements specifications. That’s five different things. They need help with these different tasks – but that doesn’t necessarily equal five different people working fulltime at the client’s office. Our answer is then to design a flexible delivery that solves their problems. For a fixed monthly fee, the client gets access to a range of competencies. The components in the delivery may vary from month to month, but the point is that we combine several services to ensure the client always gets an optimised delivery.”
Erik describes the business model as a classic win-win situation.
“QA specialists are in great demand. This setup offers a dynamic context to our co-workers, an environment where they can learn from and be inspired by each other. So as an employer, it becomes easier to attract top talent. From the client’s perspective, the deliveries are value-based. We charge for the value we deliver rather than hours spent.”
This also means the client can get the expertise they need, when they need it. Teams can consist of members based at different offices in different countries. It is simply a matter of identifying the best people for the task at hand.
Building upon partnership
The IT industry sometimes talks about the T-shaped consultant. This refers to consultants being experts within a limited number of areas, while they very well may have a broader knowledge stretching over many different fields. With QA as a service, customers get access to expertise that is both wide and deep. It is basically a sharing economy, where our experts work for several clients.
The fact that deliveries are handled by a distributed team does not make things more complicated for the buyer. The client gets a single point of contact, and logistics and planning are managed by System Verification.
“The delivery optimization is our puzzle to solve. It is a matter of governance, and it is all included in our delivery”, says Erik.
QA as a service assumes a partnership approach, where System Verification and clients work closely together. Our experience of QA projects makes governance easier – we know when and where in the process the different skillsets are needed.
“This way of working is not new to us. Since day one, this is the modus operandi of our delivery hub in Sarajevo. They have mainly served Swedish clients looking for a better price performance and scalability benefits. Now we see new clients opting for QA as a service straight away. This is also a shift for our sales organisation. To some extent, business is still local – but deliveries are not. The teams we create for them can include consultants from all our offices.”
Quality Monitoring services
System Verification’s Quality Monitoring services are also expected to grow. Tools such as Software Health Check and Software Due Diligence combine AI and human expertise to visualise software status.
“One of the main benefits with these tools are that they close the gap between senior decision makers and tech teams by explaining and visualising complex issues in an understandable way. This is critical. Today, software is so integrated in all businesses that everyone needs to have an understanding of it and how it is performing. It is no longer just an issue for the IT department.”
But speaking of business models: the traditional consultant is still very much at the core of the System Verification offering.
“The System Verification expert, working on-location at the client’s premises, will continue to be an integral part of our business. It is an important part of who we are”, concludes Erik.