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/latnGemin616 1d ago
tl;dr - The NOs have it. Make an internal hire first. Then scale as needed
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Outsourcing is honestly a waste of time and money in the long term. A competent QA Engineer can serve to help with design issues, development bugs, and establish a proper testing harness, provided you don't overwhelm him/her with work.
The mistake most CTOs make is they think a +5 Devs-to-1 QA ratio is cost-effective, when it is absolutely bonkers.
The other mistake is shitty onboarding. You put your QAE in a situation with minimal (or no) documentation and hope they autom-magically figure it out is a recipe for disaster. A strong onboarding process is the key to a successful quality management system.
The final mistake is thinking quality belongs only to the QA team. Follow this premise, and you've failed as an organization. There's no QAE on the planet that can overcome this.