As Agile and other iterative software development methodologies become standard across enterprises, the traditional understanding of the quality assurance (QA) function is being redefined. While QA was once a distinct role within IT organizations, often isolated in a testing phase near the end of development cycles, it has now become a distributed responsibility.
Today, QA testing is embedded throughout the software development life cycle, spanning planning, development, deployment, and post-release stages. QA personnel have been a small percentage of the IT staff for several years now, and we do not expect that to change in a big way any time soon. Still, the QA role is vital, and organizations are recognizing the importance of getting their staffing right wherever the function is performed.
As seen in Figure 1 from our full report, IT Quality Assurance and Testing Staffing Ratios, after a brief fall in 2023, the percentage of QA staff as a percentage of the total IT staff has significantly increased in 2024 from 3.6% to 5.6% at the median level.
Newer development models rely on quicker iterations of development, with testing often supported by automated test tools. The natural extension of this approach is DevOps, where developers apply enhancements as small incremental changes that are tested and committed daily, hourly, or even moment by moment into the production system. This results in faster development cycles, with less rework and higher quality.
“Quality assurance is more than just error detection. It’s about embedding excellence into the process from the beginning,” said Waynelle John, research analyst for Avasant Research, based in Los Angeles. “As software becomes more complex and stakeholder expectations rise, organizations are rediscovering the strategic value of dedicated QA professionals.”
QA staffing is rising again as organizations adopt “shift-left” practices, embedding testing earlier in development to prevent issues before they escalate. While Agile and DevOps promote shared responsibility for quality, the complexity of modern systems and the rise of DevSecOps have reinforced the need for specialized QA roles focused on compliance, security, and coordination.
At the same time, AI-driven tools and automation have reshaped QA processes, requiring skilled professionals to manage advanced technologies. But while AI accelerates development, it requires ongoing oversight to ensure accuracy and reliability. With growing customer expectations across digital platforms, QA has become a continuous, strategic function, driving the need for better staffing benchmarks to ensure quality at every stage of development.
Our full report provides benchmarks for assessing current quality assurance staffing levels. We present the five-year trend in quality assurance staffing and provide benchmarks by organization size and sector: QA staff as a percentage of the IT staff, QA staff as a percentage of the Application Group, and applications per QA staff member. We conclude with recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the quality assurance function within the IT organization.
This Research Byte is a brief overview of our report on this subject, IT Quality Assurance and Testing Staffing Ratios. The full report is available at no charge for subscribers.