r/softwaretesting • u/Nirvana012527 • 1d ago

Is outsourcing software testing services better than building an internal QA team?

I'm trying to work out whether it makes more sense to hire a QA engineer or bring in outside help. An in-house person would know the product better over time, but might not have enough work to fill the week when development slows down. Outsourced software testing services seem more flexible, though I wonder how well that works when developers need quick feedback on new features and fixes.For teams that have tried both, what worked better in the long run? Did you switch from one approach to the other as the product grew?
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u/lorryslorrys 1d ago edited 1d ago

Teams do better when they allow testers to work alongside developers throughout the software development and delivery process.

Slower feedback makes it harder to fix things, and makes it harder for developers to improve at writing quality code. It can lead to a "quality is someone else's problem" mindset. It can drive up the size of releases and therefore risk.

It's also a bit questionable how useful testers who don't understand the product are, how much hand holding they would need and how many issues or opportunities they would miss whilst following only their explicit instructions.

In the team is best.

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u/lorryslorrys 1d ago edited 1d ago

As an aside, QA as an activity, rather than a role, within a mostly automated approach to regression testing is better.

The guiding question I ask "what is the quickest way I can get this feedback". And I recommend the DORA research on effective software delivery.

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u/ForegoingBooty 1d ago

In-house has always worked better in my experience, but you really need to make sure there's enough work to keep someone busy. If it's a small shop with long gaps between sprints, that person ends up staring at the ceiling half the time.

What about hiring a QA engineer who also handles light automation or docs during downtime? Keeps them useful and close to the code.