During presales and bidding, teams naturally focus on functional scope, timelines, and pricing. As a result, non-functional testing (NFT) – such as performance, security, reliability, and compatibility—is often questioned, minimized, or removed to keep proposals competitive.
Yet many delivery failures and cost overruns are caused not by functional gaps, but by overlooked non-functional risks. The real challenge in presales is not whether non-functional testing matters—but how to justify it clearly and convincingly when time, budget, and system knowledge are limited.
This blog outlines a risk-based, business-focused approach to gaining stakeholder buy-in for non-functional testing in presales and bidding contexts.
1. Why Non-Functional Testing Is Often Challenged in Presales
In presales, stakeholders don’t buy testing – they buy risk reduction.
Instead of describing NFT as test activities, position it as:
- Protection against production incidents
- Prevention of reputational and compliance damage
- Control over unknown system behavior
For example:
- Performance Testing → reduces outage risk during peak usage
- Security Testing → reduces legal and compliance exposure
- Compatibility Testing → reduces post-go-live support and rework cost
When framed this way, NFT becomes a business safeguard, not a technical add-on.
2. Reframe Non-Functional Testing as Risk Management
In presales, stakeholders don’t buy testing – they buy risk reduction.
Instead of describing NFT in technical terms, frame it as:
- Protection against production incidents
- Insurance against reputational damage
- Control over unknown system behavior
For example:
- Performance testing → reduces outage risk during peak usage
- Security testing → reduces legal and compliance exposure
- Compatibility testing → reduces post-go-live support cost
When positioned this way, NFT becomes a business safeguard, not a technical add-on.
3. Translate Technical Risks into Business Impact
Stakeholders respond to impact, not test types.
| Non-Functional Risk | Business Impact |
| Slow response time | User abandonment, revenue loss |
| System crash under load | SLA penalties, client dissatisfaction |
| Security vulnerabilities | Legal risk, brand damage |
| Poor device/browser support | Customer complaints, rework cost |
Clearly linking risks to outcomes builds credibility and trust during bidding.
4. Propose a Risk-Based NFT Scope (Not Full Coverage)
A common presales mistake is proposing too much testing too early.
Instead:
- Focus on high-risk areas only
- Tie scope to assumptions and known constraints
- Explicitly state what is in scope and out of scope
Example:
“Given limited usage data at bidding stage, we propose baseline performance testing on critical user journeys only.”
This demonstrates responsibility without overcommitment.
5. Use Assumptions to Protect Both Sides
Presales teams rarely have full system visibility. Clear assumptions are essential to manage uncertainty.
Well-defined assumptions:
- Enable progress despite limited information
- Protect delivery teams after project award
- Signal transparency and maturity
Examples:
- Performance scope assumes concurrent users ≤ X
- Security testing excludes third-party systems unless specified
- Data volume assumptions subject to client confirmation
Stakeholders value clarity more than unrealistic certainty.
6. Demonstrate Value with Lightweight Deliverables
Stakeholders often worry about open-ended effort. Reduce this concern by defining clear outputs, such as:
- Summary reports (pass/fail, risks, recommendations)
- Baseline metrics (response time, throughput)
- Go/no-go indicators
This reinforces that NFT is controlled, measurable, and decision-driven.
7. Address Common Presales Objections Proactively
Common objections—and effective responses:
- We don’t have time → Propose minimal, milestone-aligned testing.
- Requirements aren’t final → Use assumptions and phased testing.
- This increases cost → Compare testing cost with production failure cost.
- We never had issues before → Highlight new risks from scale, UI changes, or usage patterns.
8. Position NFT as a Competitive Advantage
A proposal that addresses non-functional risks:
- Demonstrates maturity and experience
- Shows awareness of real-world delivery challenges
- Builds long-term stakeholder confidence
Ignoring NFT may reduce bid cost—but it increases delivery risk.
9. Showcase Tools and Technology
In presales, showcasing non-functional testing tools helps stakeholders quickly understand how risks are identified and controlled. Demonstrating available open-source and commercial tools highlights technical readiness and flexibility.
Relevant tool areas include:
- Performance testing
- Accessibility testing
- Security testing
- Chaos engineering and resilience testing
- Backend monitoring and observability
Lightweight demos or sample reports make non-functional risks visible and tangible, helping stakeholders see what issues are detected and how they are measured. This turns non-functional testing from an abstract concept into a practical, measurable capability, strengthening confidence and buy-in.
10. Conclusion
In presales and bidding, non-functional testing should not be sold as extra work—but as smart risk management.
Stakeholders buy-in comes from:
- Speaking in business language
- Proposing realistic, risk-based scope
- Being transparent about assumptions
- Demonstrating value with minimal but meaningful effort
Done well, non-functional testing not only helps win bids—it protects delivery teams and ensures long-term project success.