I've been in Software QA for about 10 years. I've only worked in startups (5-15 people), or small groups in large corporations where I've been the only QA person. I never had a QA mentor, so I learned as much as I could by reading books and going online and applying whatever I could (in the time allotted). Also, I've never had formal QA training as the companies couldn't afford to send me (time and money). Over those 10 years I've touch on requirements, project management, testing and test planning. Unfortunately, each of those aspects in the small companies I've been in weren't followed in a structured way. Random processes lead to random results which leads to burnout. I feel it is time for me to move out of the startups and into an area where I am going to learn about best practices. I'm just not sure of the types of companies I should be pursuing. I have a feeling it will be a large company that already has an established QA group. I just don't know where to start. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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ASKED:
March 6, 2008 11:12 PM
UPDATED:
July 19, 2008 7:15 AM
You can read more about different project management styles on the web too. Google methods like test-driven development, feature driven development, extreme programming, … just to name a few. It could help you find a structured way to manage your projects that is different from the classic waterfall model.
I believe that the way to lead a project depends on the level of “quality” and requirements your customers want. It determines which project management method is the most appropriate for you. Meaning, you don’t build a entertainment website the same way than a medical software for instance and you don’t manage a team of 3 developers the same way you manage 100 persons.
In other words, the QA process you will follow might be more related to the projects you develop. In my mind, there are no standard methods but you can definitely gather good practices and get inspired by different methods.
If you go for the corporate world, in addition to this, your QA process will probably have to include methods such as 6 sigma or modify softwares to be Sarbanes-Oxley compliant.
Hope this gives you ideas and will help you to find what you’re looking for
Have a good day!
Joelle