“The bitterness of poor high quality stays lengthy after the sweetness of assembly the schedule has been forgotten.” -Nameless
Whats up! My title is Mick Stevens and I’m the High quality Assurance (QA) particular person within the Undertaking Administration Workplace (PMO). The PMO is presently specializing in methods to supply extra worth to tasks inside ITS. We now have lots to supply to each new and present tasks so we’re conducting a sequence of quick displays to introduce ourselves to small teams inside ITS. These displays intend to point out how we will provide worth and assist within the areas of:
- Undertaking Administration (PM)
- Enterprise Evaluation (BA)
- High quality Assurance (QA)
- and Coaching.
I used to be very excited to kick off our first of many displays by speaking about QA. I used to be excited as a result of there are such a lot of differing views on what QA, High quality, and Testing is… the way it ought to be finished, and what it ought to (or shouldn’t) do. This may very well be a possibility to supply some readability for these matters as they relate to the tasks at UConn. Or so I assumed.
Whereas making ready for the presentation, I rapidly realized that there isn’t any hope of protecting all this info in a single quick 15-minute presentation. QA and Testing is simply too giant of a subject. We solely have time to present a fast overview and present some methods now we have helped different tasks prior to now. However these displays are an effective way to get our phrase out, and hopefully generate some curiosity.
Our essential objective for these quick displays is to point out how we will provide help to tasks so folks will think about consulting with us for assistance on their subsequent mission.
Nonetheless, there may be rather more I need to say about these matters round QA. In truth, the primary draft I wrote to speak about them was so giant that I used to be positive nobody would take the time to learn it. So, I’ve determined as a substitute, to do a sequence of weblog posts, specializing in every of the matters individually. These posts will try and make clear the confusion round QA, High quality, and Testing, and present why that confusion exists. I’ll then wrap up the sequence with a abstract of the numerous methods QA, and the entire PMO staff, may help in your subsequent mission.
On this first put up, we are going to take a better have a look at QA.
Now, I’ve already summarized how High quality Assurance pertains to UConn on the What’s QA web page of this web site, and this info continues to be 100% right. Additionally on this web page, now we have outlined QA as “an exercise that establishes and evaluates the processes that produce merchandise.” The place “merchandise” will be {hardware}, software program, upgrades or integration tasks. I extremely suggest studying this web page first to get the complete image of QA within the PMO. Nonetheless, on this put up, I need to speak extra about why there may be a lot confusion round QA.
For Instance:
I’ve seen the confusion in folks’s faces once they ask me what I do and I inform them, “QA Analyst” or “High quality Assurance.” I then clarify, “it’s only a fancy phrase for a software program tester.” Which it’s not, it’s greater than that, however that is a bit more relatable to most individuals. One time, I couldn’t discover the correct, “relatable,” phrase so the particular person stated, “Oh, you’re employed with computer systems – in I.T.” So now, I simply say that I work in I.T.
I’ve to admit that earlier than I began working at UConn, I didn’t absolutely understand all of the issues a QA Analyst did. I nearly didn’t even reply to the job provide due to the title, however after I learn the outline, I spotted that this was the proper match for me. It was every little thing I had been doing (and liked doing) for the final 30 + years! I simply had completely different titles.
So that’s one cause for the confusion. We now have to name it various things so others can relate it to one thing they perceive. And now, when these folks hear the phrase QA, they will suppose, software program tester, or computer systems, or programmer, or no matter somebody informed them prior to now.
So as to add to this confusion, up till a couple of years in the past, there was no direct profession path to QA, or software program tester. QA was like a aspect job. For those who labored in IT, you’ll in all probability be requested to do some testing sooner or later. When the PMO was moved from Finance Programs to ITS, I used to be a bit of involved for simply that cause. ITS didn’t have a proper QA group, however what I discovered was, like different teams, every group did their very own testing as wanted. It is a good factor as a result of that could be a massive a part of the QA effort, and we are going to want extra folks testing going ahead.
One other Instance:
In August of 2019, I went to my first testing convention, which was attended by testers from all around the world. Only a few of those testers had the title of tester. They had been QA Analysts, QA Specialists, Product Specialist, Launch Specialists, or simply QA. Most of them, nevertheless, simply favored being referred to as a tester.
One of the crucial stunning issues I realized at this convention was that virtually all of those testers fell into their roles in surprising methods. Virtually nobody began out as a tester, however all of them loved it a lot that they made a profession out of it. Everybody had a narrative, and so they liked speaking about it.
As I look again on my profession, I discover that I too have been unknowingly shifting towards this position of QA and tester. I even wrote a weblog put up about it the place I speak about my convention expertise, and the way I used to be uniquely ready for this position. I hope you have got an opportunity to learn it.
While you’re on the PMO web site, please go searching and see what else now we have to supply. One can find a number of extra weblog posts about each Undertaking Administration and QA. The QA posts replicate my progress and newfound understanding of QA and testing since beginning at UConn.
Subsequent week we are going to try and make clear High quality typically, and perceive why it may be so complicated.
Keep in mind…
Thanks for stopping by!
Mick
Associated articles:
Reflections from My First Testing Convention
Introducing QA Half 2: What’s High quality?
Introducing QA Half 3: What’s Testing?
Introducing QA Half 4: How can QA Assist You?