ABSTRACT
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice reduces the imperfection. —Toba Beta
No solution is a perfect solution that works in all scenarios and at all times. Some solutions just cannot be applied in certain scenarios, while others need to be customized and applied with care to maximize benefits and minimize risks. Crowdsourced testing also sails the same boat and is no exception to this statement that no solution is perfect, despite all the strong benefits of this model that we have been talking about. As in any situation, it is important to understand the problem statement, the potential solutions, and weigh the pros and cons of each solution before deciding the best approach to take. Also, it is important to practice the solution-try it in smaller chunks before going in for a large crowdsourced test effort so you have prior learning specific to your needs that you can take into account in building a crowdsourced testing strategy. In this chapter we will start looking at when crowdsourced testing does not work. Understanding this is even more important than understanding when it will work. We will then look at the challenges and limitations of this model to help understand if it is a solution worth pursuing for your specific needs. A view into the challenges and limitations will help you build a mitigation and optimization strategy to maximize your return on investment from crowdsourced testing.
