Burstable Testing
On-demand QA and QE software testing capacity.
Burstable testing is an approach that uses relatively large teams of experienced crowdsourced software testers — on-demand for when you need them most.
Your need for testing capacity ebbs and flows. So can your testers.
Staffing for varying software release patterns, localization, and device coverage often leads to capacity overspending or limited availability. Burstable testing leverages on-demand crowdsourced automation and manual testing teams to burst on/off the test surface as required.
Productivity
Studies have found that while full-time employees may work for over eight hours per day, they are only productive about 40% of that time.
Capacity
Fluctuating testing needs often lead to over-hiring. Hiring full-time QA and QE talent is inefficient unless your testing needs exceed 40+ hours per week.
Burstable testing is fast, rhythmic, impactful, and economical by using a swarm of 10-50+ on-demand testers in compressed time windows.
Benefits of Burstable Testing
When you need them, testers leap into action quickly, swarm testing requirements, and then intentionally go dormant. As a result, capacity is available when you need it, yet you never pay for idle personnel.
Speed
When it is time to test, on-demand crowdsourced testers burst into action, increasing release speed.
Quality
Expert software testing resources are highly vetted to ensure the best customer experiences.
Coverage
Manual and automated testing, 150+ countries, thousands of racked and in-the-wild devices.
Components of Burstable Testing
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Pre-trained professionals
Expert QA and QE pros must be vetted, validated, and trained on the application.
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Distributed personnel
Remote testers, sometimes across multiple time zones, complement your top-performers and distributed teams.
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Aligned incentive models
Unlike bug bounty models, burstable testers are compensated for their time uncovering high-quality software issues.
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On-demand resources
By definition, a committed team of freelance testers must be ready to go on short notice.
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Large testing teams
Imagine 20 testers completing a week’s worth of QA in two clock hours, shortening product release cycles.
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Collaborative problem solving
Operating as a unit, burstable testing unites a cohesive group of test leads, engagement managers, and testers to address questions and challenges.
How burstable testing differs from traditional QA
Rhythmic capacity management
Traditional manual QA efforts are difficult to staff. Often, there’s either dormant capacity (QA pros waiting for builds) or not enough availability (when pressure is high to release quickly). Burstable testing solves this through intentionally rhythmic patterns; testers glide between active and idle states to match demand.
Blazing fast testing execution
Part of the allure of automated testing is speed. When built and tuned well, test scripts can execute quickly. Many companies have shifted manual QA resources to automation in an attempt to release faster. But sometimes, script development and maintenance efforts create bottlenecks. Burstable testing offers the promise of near-automated testing turnarounds at a fraction of the setup times. It can be much faster than traditional manual testing.
Flexible weekend and evening testing
Because burstable testing often uses multi-country freelancers and QA professionals who also have full-time day jobs, the work lends itself to operating in times of engineering dormancy. Engineering teams can check in code at the end of the day (or week), return in the morning, and find compelling results and recommendations.
Resources
White Paper
This whitepaper walks you through a financial model to understand the economic considerations of in-house vs. burstable testing.
Article
Read about eight burstable testing concepts for distributed software release teams for speed, quality, and coverage.
