While there isn’t one number that works for all, benchmarks can get you very close to the right number of quality people required. This guide explains how companies size up their quality function and how you can do the same with clear facts, common ratios, and real world indicators.
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Good quality teams protect the business. They reduce risk, prevent defects and save money by stopping small problems from turning into large ones. Benchmarking helps you see if your team is the right size based on your industry, revenue, and so on.
In simple terms, benchmarking gives leaders a way to compare their team with peers and market norms. It turns a guessing game into a clear plan. Without it, you may have a quality team that is too large or too lean. This is why leaders turn to trusted benchmarking data, to get the clarity and confidence that they are looking for.
Don’t guess, use data - Benchmark your quality function
Many teams use the word “quality” to describe many different jobs. Before you decide how many people you need, you first need to understand what the quality function covers inside your company. Here is general list of activities that we often see included:
Different industries use different mixes. For example, medical device companies will often need stronger compliance teams, while food processing companies require more quality control staff on the plant floor due to regulatory requirements.
One company may group all of these roles together. Another company may split them across several teams. Both choices can be right. What matters is that you count what you truly need to run a safe and reliable operation.
At CompanySights, we provide our clients with a list of activities included within the quality function based on the industry that they are in – Search for quality function benchmarks here.
Putting benchmarks aside, your quality team should match the level of risk in your company. Risk can be calculated by a number of things, such as; the industry that you operate in, the size of your company, and the end users of your product or service. More risk usually means more quality staff, while less risk usually means fewer people.
The best way to benchmark a quality team is to use a mix of internal data and external data. Internal data shows how much work your team handles today, such as the employee database from the HRIS. Comparatively, external data shows how similar companies are staffed, which is what you will compare your internal data against.
Benchmarking works best when you look at common ratios. Many companies refer to the number of quality employees per 100 total employees, which can also be shown as quality employees as a percentage of the workforce. Other companies will drill down further and measure the number of quality employees needed for each plant, production line or product family. There is no perfect ratio, so you will need to match the ratio to the type of work your team and company performs.
As mentioned in the previous section, here are common ways that leaders compare their quality team size:
Each ratio tells you something different. If your quality staff per 100 employees is far below your peers, you may be understaffed or efficient (tip: refer to the context of your company to find the answer). In comparison, if your quality budget is far above your peer group, you may be adding roles faster than needed.
For all industries that require quality personnel, small companies often have one or two quality generalists. Mid-size companies will often grow to five to ten full time quality staff. Then large companies often run a blended team with specialists for audits, supplier quality, labs and compliance. However, these are general guidelines and you should refer to company-specific benchmarks.
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The right quality team size depends on the type of work you do. Here are the biggest factors:
When products are complex, the team needs more oversight. When rules are strict, the team needs more documentation. When operations grow across many sites, the team needs more people to keep the system aligned. These factors add up and they explain why two companies of the same size may need very different quality teams.
A well sized quality team has a steady flow of work. When the team is too small, the signals are easy to see, such as:
Comparatively, here are some warning signs that you may be over-staffed:
Do not panic if you spot one or two of the signs above. But if you spot many signs at once, it may be time to adjust your team size. At the same time, we recommend that you source benchmarks to see how many people you need in your quality function!
Having an appropriate structure for the quality function makes a world of difference, especially for the leadership team. Here is a general view that is both industry agnostic and based on company size:
One generalist who covers compliance, audits and quality control tasks. This could be increased to two people if the workload increases.
A small team that includes a quality manager, one quality assurance lead, one quality control lead and support for document control and supplier quality.
A full quality department with specialists for labs, supplier quality, internal audits, training, compliance, document control and continuous improvement.
These are guidelines and may not be relevant to companies in all industries. The key rule for a good structure is one that supports clear ownership of important tasks. It avoids shadow work and again, makes responsibilities easy to understand.
There are moments when a company must grow the quality team to keep up with new work. They usually follow strategic changes to the business. For example, you may need more quality staff when your company:
Early stage companies have a special case. They often wait too long to hire their first quality employee. The right time is early. It is far easier to build a strong system from day one than to clean up a weak system later.
Benchmarking lets you answer hard questions with facts. This is especially important when it comes to people. Clear benchmarking data helps leaders:
Too many companies rely on guesswork or history. They copy the same team size from last year without asking if it still fits the work. Benchmarking breaks this cycle. It gives you evidence instead of opinion.
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A strong quality team is one of the best ways to protect your business. The right size depends on product risk, complexity, rules and how fast you grow. With good benchmarking data, you can set that size with confidence. You can spot the signs of strain early. You can invest in the places that matter most.
When you size your team with facts instead of guesswork, you build a quality function that grows with your business and supports every part of your operation.
Many companies with quality functions typically have between one and five quality staff for every 100 employees. The right number depends on things like your industry, product complexity, company size, and regulatory requirements.
You know the team is too small when defects rise, audits pile up, release cycles slow down or people feel they are always behind.
Automation can reduce manual checks but it rarely removes the need for skilled quality staff. Most teams shift people toward analysis, audits and prevention instead of hands on inspection.
Watch for defect rates, complaint rates, audit findings, cycle times and backlog size. When these move in the wrong direction for several periods, capacity is too tight.
There is no single formula but you can combine three inputs. Look at workload, look at risk and compare your ratios to companies like yours. This three part view gives you a strong starting point for figuring out the right number of quality employees required.
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