The Incredible Value of QA Consultants and When Do You Need Them

We all want change sometimes. And wouldn’t it be perfect to have a person who knew exactly what you needed to make your life better? Well, people would probably have to spend months with a psychologist for this. But for software projects, there exists a wizard who can precisely and quickly guide you through the toils of development. And their only task is to transform your SDLC into a smooth journey toward success.

Today, we introduce you to not a being of myth, but a very in-demand specialist who knows how to productively bring ideas to life.

Who Are Quality Assurance Consultants & What Can They Do for You?

A QA consultant is a quality orchestrator. They provide expert guidance to improve QA processes, test strategies, and product value. In short, they analyze what you want to achieve. Then, they help you build procedures that ensure desired results.

Here’s what you can expect from software QA consulting and audit.

Expertise & Specialized Knowledge

When you hire QA consultants, you get immediate access to deep expertise in testing frameworks, methodologies, and tools. This knowledge lets them accurately assess your current processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend improvements.

Improved Product Quality

The primary QA consultant role is to revamp your current procedures in a way that guarantees desired results. This can be done in many ways. And we’ll talk about them later. For now, just remember that QA consultants don’t promise wonders. They make them happen.

Cost & Time Efficiency

If you engage software QA consulting services earlier, you can refine quality-related processes faster. That means your development will be more efficient. Thus, you’ll be able to cut costs and time needed to deliver a great product.

Scalability & Flexibility

When you plan for long-term success, quality assurance consultants can help design scalable QA processes. They ensure that the business can maintain quality as it scales, without overwhelming internal teams.

Risk Mitigation

Software QA consultants can also assess risks relevant to your project. Potential compliance, security, or performance issues will be dealt with swiftly, minimizing the likelihood of failures. So you can easily upkeep and improve your business’ reputation and revenue.

Training & Mentorship

Also, software quality assurance consultants can train and mentor in-house teams. This builds long-term value by upskilling staff and establishing better testing practices. These specialists can even help you hire QA engineers needed to advance your QA.

Unbiased External Perspective

Finally, a benefit that many may overlook – objectivity. Sometimes, being too engrossed in a project makes the in-house crew somewhat biased. This may lead to overlooking certain issues in the product. Consultant QA offers a fresh perspective. And this unbiased evaluation helps spot problems that may be missed by internal staff.

That’s some impressive advantages. But how do you know when you actually need them?

Signs That You Should Hire QA Consultants

Most of the time, you’re likely to need software QA consulting when you notice considerable development issues:

• Frequent bugs in production caused by insufficient or ineffective testing during development.
• Delayed releases prompted by poorly structured or time-consuming testing processes.
• High costs from bug fixes resulting from lacking test coverage or early-stage testing.
• Limited in-house QA expertise due to inadequate skills, tools, or experience.
• Customer complaints and high churn rates caused by poor product quality or performance issues.
• Challenges with scaling QA that occur when quality-related processes can’t handle the project’s intricacy.
• Inconsistent testing coverage catalyzed by unstructured QA practices.
• Struggles with automated software testing services due to subpar strategy, inappropriate tools, or lack of expertise.

But you can also work with software QA consultants when you want an independent assessment of your processes. For example, you might want to get a better understanding of your QA procedures’ state. Or you might want to just improve them somehow.

The point is that you don’t need to wait for things to go wrong before thinking of QA consultants. They can also act as preventative QA services, so to speak.

What Does a Quality Assurance Consultant Do?

The responsibilities of QA consultants are quite vast. Their exact role depends on their position. But generally, their core duties are:

• Evaluating testing and QA processes to identify inefficiencies, gaps, and areas for improvement.
• Designing comprehensive QA strategies and detailed test plans that align with the business goals.
• Implementing test automation by selecting the right tools, frameworks, and test scripts.
• Ensuring compliance with industry standards, regulatory requirements, and best practices.
• Performing risk assessments to identify issues, vulnerabilities, or tricky areas.
• Optimizing testing processes, reducing bottlenecks, and advancing development and QA lifecycle efficiency.
• Providing training and mentorship to QA teams to improve their skills in automated and manual testing services.
• Tracking and analyzing key QA metrics to measure the effectiveness of the testing efforts.
• Setting up and executing performance, load, and stress testing to ensure the product can handle real-world conditions.
• Offering continuous feedback and actionable recommendations to improve product quality, optimize testing efforts, and minimize future risks.
• Collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure quality is maintained throughout the SDLC.
• Establishing proper test environments that mimic production settings.

Based on your project’s needs, you might consider certain types of QA consultants.

Quality Assurance Lead Consultant

Quality assurance lead consultant ensures that processes, systems, and procedures are in place to deliver high-quality products consistently. They typically handle the following:

• Implementation and optimization of QA processes.
• Development of testing strategies and methodologies to improve product quality.
• Overseeing the QA team and collaborating with cross-functional teams to maintain quality standards.
• Prevention of defects through proactive testing and process improvements.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control Consultant

QA QC consultants (or simply quality control consultants) focus on identifying defects in the product itself through inspection, testing, and verification after development. Commonly, these specialists:

• Perform product testing to detect and fix defects.
• Implement QC techniques to measure the quality of the finished product.
• Ensure that products meet specified standards and comply with regulations.
• Work more reactively to find and address issues post-production or during specific stages of development.

Quality Assurance Management Consultant

Quality assurance management consultants look at quality assurance from a strategic and management perspective. They often advise leadership on how to build a culture of quality throughout the organization. You can expect these experts to:

• Manage high-level QA strategies, policies, and procedures.
• Collaborate with top management to align quality objectives with business goals.
• Oversee the entire QA framework, ensuring long-term quality improvement.
• Center on managing people, processes, and technology to establish and enforce quality standards.

Quality Assurance Test Consultant

QA test consultants handle the testing aspects of the quality assurance process, including manual and automated testing. Their main responsibilities are:

• Designing and executing test plans and test cases to ensure functionality, performance, and usability.
• Identifying bugs, defects, and inconsistencies in the software or product.
• Implementing and managing automated testing frameworks and scripts.
• Working with development teams to ensure that software is tested rigorously before release.
• Providing feedback on improving test coverage, test strategies, and tools.

You’re bound to see the similarities between QA test consultants and QA engineers. They both focus on software testing services. But the latter takes advantage of the “outsider’s role” and uses it to refine and direct testing.

A Quick Wrap-Up on Consultant Roles

Let’s sum it all up neatly:

• Hire a QA lead consultant if you need to improve or establish structured QA processes across teams.
• Hire a QC consultant if your main concern is finding and fixing defects in the final product.
• Hire a QA management consultant if your company needs to create or optimize long-term, strategic quality initiatives.
• Hire a QA test consultant if you need hands-on expertise to solve specific testing challenges.

Now, allow us to demonstrate how a QA consultant works.

QA Consultant’s Work in Practice – A Case Study

Let’s nail down the value of these experts. Here, we’ll review a QA consulting case study from our practice.

Our team cooperated with a company that provided no-code platforms for app development. The client approached QA Madness with the request to fine-tune their testing processes. So, the very first task for our crew was to assess the software for vulnerabilities and develop a strategy to improve quality.

We began by collaborating with the programming team. This allowed us to fully understand the development process and product specifics. Next, we located present quality gaps and offered recommendations for enhancing the client’s QA. Our crew determined the test types that would help the company achieve needed results. We also developed a manual QA plan.

The client’s team was happy with the results. They wanted to prolong our cooperation. So, we continued into a sprint-based partnership where we supported manual and automated testing.

We checked if the app met functional requirements. We also ensured that the UI was responsive on mobile devices. After each sprint, we conducted integration testing to confirm new software modules’ productivity. Finally, we ran cross-browser tests to ensure the web app works well in targeted environments.

As you can see, the role of a QA consultant can be equated to that of a problem solver. But they don’t just help you deal with an issue or reach a specific objective. They build processes that secure efficient goal realization, no recurring troubles, and reliable quality.

How Your Cooperation with a Software QA Consultant Should Go

“The less you know, the better” rarely works, doesn’t it? So, let’s imagine you’ve found your QA consultant match. What are the next steps? Since there’s no universal or perfect formula for this collaboration, we’ll use our own approach as an example.

Step 1 – Requirements Audit

The QA consultant begins by analyzing the software requirements to ensure they meet established standards. At this stage, their main tasks are to:

• Separate business requirements from technical specifications.
• Ensure requirements are comprehensive and detailed.
• Prevent changes during development.

Step 2 – Environment Audit

Next, it’s necessary to review the testing environments to ensure they are conducive to creating user-ready products. Here, software QA consultant:

• Ensures that manual and automated testing tech stacks mirror the production environment.
• Sets up appropriate conditions that replicate user behavior.

Step 3 – Feature Development

The QA consultant optimizes the rules and processes for feature development. They do so by:

• Defining and documenting specific rules for developers, QA engineers, and analysts.
• Providing onboarding materials for new team members.
• Establishing ticket management rules to ensure correct documentation and linking.
• Promoting effective communication regarding questions and bug-fixing priorities.

Step 4 – Manual Feature Acceptance Testing

The specialist checks to what degree the software meets the requirements and user expectations. Further, they:

• Conduct requirement analysis to identify potential issues early.
• Review documentation quality, testing tools, data, and the testing environment.

Step 5 – Automated Regression Testing

Next, the QA consultant determines the best pathways to optimize development by:

• Analyzing existing testing processes, including test automation technologies and manual test cases.
• Reviewing execution flow, report generation, and CI/CD integration.

Step 6 – Performance Testing

The consultant assesses the system for performance-related issues. For this, the expert:

• Ensures that load testing environments simulate production accurately.
• Evaluates performance testing tools, methods, scenarios, and test reports.

Step 7 – Test Results Review

Lastly, the QA consultant prepares your company for long-term, productive quality assurance by:

• Analyzing critical issues, blockers, and identified bugs.
• Conducting post-release monitoring and gathering insights for future improvements.

Also, QA specialists can join your team during any stage of your project. In fact, it’s even better to let them set everything up before development begins. This way, you can be sure that you have a strong base that’ll lead to even stronger results.

How to Hire QA Consultants Who Deliver

Software QA consultants have only one flaw – it’s tricky to find them. It’s not that they’re rare. It’s just that locating a true talent that matches your needs is never an easy task. And to come across that ideal person in the software testing services realm is even harder.

So, save these tips when searching for your QA version of Gandalf. Over the years, our team at QA Madness has worked with hundreds of specialists. So far, we and our clients have never been disappointed in the talent we choose.

1. Clearly outline the type of software and the testing methodology you need. This helps narrow down candidates with the right expertise.
2. Determine what you want to achieve with the QA consultant. Set specific goals for them, like improving product quality, enhancing testing efficiency, etc.
3. Use platforms like LinkedIn, industry forums, and QA communities for your search. You can also work with a QA company. They typically have such specialists readily available.
4. Check the portfolios and case studies of candidates to assess their past work. Look for experience in projects similar to yours, focusing on measurable outcomes.
5. During interviews, ask candidates to describe challenges faced in previous projects. This reveals their problem-solving skills and thought processes.
6. Ensure that the candidate aligns with your company’s values and culture.
7. Contact previous clients or employers to confirm the candidate’s reliability. Ask about the consultant’s work style, communication, and results achieved.

And remember, the process of searching for your QA consultant may seem tedious. But it’s beyond worth it.

To Sum Up

Nothing changes if nothing changes. So, if you’re not as happy with your project as you thought you’d be – it’s time for a few tweaks. The IT sector doesn’t allow companies to wait and see what happens. Most of the time, you need to act immediately.

With a QA consultant, you’ll do so not just fast, but effectively. After all, these specialists’ ultimate goal is to make things happen for you. And we have just the right experts to help you with that.