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Testing is one of the most critical aspects of creating software because it allows you to identify and correct the slightest errors in time. With this, you will be able to bring a quality product to the market that users will like. If you are engaged in software development, you have likely come across the question of what is more profitable to hire a QA team of testers for outsourcing or testers in the state. Today we want to talk in detail about this, which will allow you to make the right decision.
Advantages and disadvantages of internal in-house testers
The main advantage of internal in-house testers is that you can control the process of their work and make changes in time or solve problems immediately.
However, hiring an entire team of testers on staff has some significant drawbacks. First, it is usually not financially profitable. Software development has several cycles, and not all of them require the services of testers. Thus, you need to pay wages even at those stages when, in fact, a person cannot perform his direct duties.
In addition, you have associated costs for maintaining the team – the cost of hiring and training and introducing a new specialist to the team. You also incur losses when a person goes on vacation or sick leave.
Working on the same project, the specialist is forced to work in a routine, reducing their ability to be creative, and negatively affecting the final result.
Also, the specialists of your company may need more skills or knowledge to perform specific tasks, which also negatively affects the quality of work. Once Steve Jobs said that the main thing is not money but the people who work on your project, he was entirely right. If you can attract the highest class of specialists to the layer, they will help you create a high-quality product, but you will be forced to pay them a high salary.
Another aspect that many need to remember is that testing involves the use of special tools, and most of them are paid and quite expensive. When hiring a person in the state, you must create conditions for them in the office and buy the necessary software.
Advantages and disadvantages of outsourced QA team of testers
Hiring dedicated Quality Assurance teams for outsourcing has several significant benefits, among the most important are the following:
- Financial efficiency;
- There is access to the necessary knowledge and skills;
- High speed of work;
- Suitable for both long-term cooperation and for solving one-time problems.
Each aspect is essential, so they are worth discussing in more detail.
Financial efficiency
Practice shows that hiring outsourced testers allows you to save up to 20% compared to hiring full-time specialists. It is because you can save time and resources on finding new specialists and training and create more favorable working conditions.
Have access to the necessary knowledge and skills
If you hire testers full-time, you should be prepared because they may need more time and skills to solve specific problems. When you hire a team of outsourced testers, there are no such problems. Typically, such companies employ many testers with different levels of professionalism. It allows them to share knowledge and attract more experienced professionals to solve individual problems.
If you hire testers in-house and are faced with this problem, you can hire more experienced outsourcing testers to solve a specific problem that your employees cannot handle.
By analyzing performance testing metrics, you can understand how effective testing was and evaluate the work of outsourcing specialists.
High speed of work
If you know that competitors are preparing a similar project, you understand that the one who enters the market faster will be able to get more profit. In this case, testing speed can be critical. If you order outsourcing services, you can involve several specialists at once. Automated testing allows you to conduct many tests, speeding up this process simultaneously.
In some companies, the developers do the testing themselves. This solution has 2 major drawbacks. Firstly, the person who writes the code may not notice any errors; secondly, this greatly reduces development speed. In terms of time spent, it is more profitable to hire outsourced testers.
Suitable for both long-term cooperation and one-time problem solving
By hiring staff specialists, you are planning long-term cooperation. But outsourcing is more flexible in this regard. You can hire specialists for long-term cooperation and for solving one-time problems, which a large number of companies like.
Hiring outsourcing specialists can also be associated with problems. First and foremost is the search for a reliable partner. Today many companies on the market offer such services, but unfortunately, not all of them deserve attention. In addition, sometimes it can be challenging to organize cooperation, develop reporting rules and establish communication between testers and programmers.