Quality Assurance Specialist

What You Do

Once a developer is finished with a software product, it is sent to you. As a quality assurance specialist, you are responsible for inspecting the software, uncovering and preventing software defects. You develop the procedures to:

test, document and maintain software,
predict the number of bugs and the time and effort needed to eradicate them, and
ensure that no software gets shipped to external customers or put into production internally unless it functions properly.
You also explain to managers the effort and cost necessary to produce a quality product. Put very simply, you make software better.

Job stream: Quality Assurance

Sample titles:

• Quality Assurance Specialist
• Quality Analyst (QA)
• Quality Manager
• System Test
• Total Quality Control
• Technical Analyst

Career Spotlight

Karen Eck, Quality Assurance Specialist

Adam McKinty, Quality Assurance Director

Who You Do It For

Most quality assurance specialists work for software or hardware development companies. In-house positions can also be found in large corporations such as insurance companies, financial institutions, manufacturers and utilities, as well as government agencies, hospitals and educational institutions.

How You Do It

To test a new program, as a quality assurance specialist you will put yourself in the role of the user, simulating how the user would use the product. As you do this, you will keep track of what you do and what makes, or doesn’t make, the program crash or respond erroneously. This is so you will be able to reconstruct the sequence of moves or commands that led to the problem and identify any defects with the program.

Some creativity is required. A good QA Specialist will not only try the actions a user would “normally” select, but also the strange and unpredictable. Most developers produce software that performs fairly well when used as intended. Your job is also to test the unintended actions available to users and ensure the program is robust enough to handle them without crashing or producing erroneous results.

After evaluating the program, you may meet with programmers to:

• describe the problems you have encountered,
• suggest ways for solving the glitches, and
• offer ideas to make the product better.

In most cases you will document the problems you have found in a problem log, and use this as a vehicle for discussing them with the programmers.

In many instances, as a quality assurance specialist you will also be responsible for writing and revising QA standards or specifications for new programs. You would also create the quality assurance tests that technicians would use to evaluate programs.

Challenges

As a quality assurance specialist, your role in the development cycle is only beginning to be understood within the industry. Despite the importance of software quality, many of the other job categories view quality assurance specialists with suspicion, especially since you are the one that has to tell someone their program has defects. This is why carefully documenting detected problems is important, to enable you to reproduce them and prove to skeptics they are real.

Skills

• gather and interpret relevant data and information,
• interact with computer technology to solve a variety of complex problems,
• interview and relate to people,
• follow set routines,
• communicate clear and consistent information,
• think analytically and problem solve,
• make effective decisions under pressure,
• explain complex information simply and accurately, and
• pay attention to detail and work effectively under pressure.

Working Conditions

Quality assurance specialists work in comfortable offices and usually work a 40-hour week. However, with deadlines for product launches there are the requirements for overtime.

Like other workers who spend their time in front of computer terminal, quality assurance specialists are susceptible to eyestrain, back discomfort and hand and wrist problems.

What The Future Holds

The future for quality assurance specialists looks very promising. As more companies see the benefits of quality assurance, more in-house positions will be created.

Skill Levels

Entry Level Quality Assurance Specialist

Working under the supervision of a more senior informatics staff member, you could be required to do any of the following:

• under supervision, investigate the quality aspects of information systems,
• participate in formal periodic audits and milestone reviews,
• assess reasons for variation in information systems from industry standards,
• advise staff in the use of routine quality assurance standards and tools,
• certify that new or modified systems have appropriate controls,
• ensure that systems work performed by contractors meets standards,
• contribute to and maintain a consistently high standard of documentation,
• maintain and develop knowledge of techniques and methodologies, and
• deliver standard training programs on planning and implementation for staff.

Full Working Quality Assurance Specialist

You will be performing the job as quality assurance specialist without supervision and you may be responsible for the supervision of other staff on a project. In addition you may be responsible for small projects, or portions of medium-large projects, and you may also be required to:

• investigate the quality aspects of any type of information systems development project,
• participate in and initiate formal periodic audits and milestone reviews,
• assess reasons why information systems deviate from standards,
• conduct audits of new systems; certify the attainment of standards,
• ensure a consistently high standard of information systems documentation,
• give advise and guidance to information systems staff,
• communicate technical and non-technical quality assurance concepts,
• contribute to the development of contract language,
• perform audits to ensure contractors produce systems as specified,
• deliver training programs to staff on the quality function,
• provide functional direction to seconded and contracted members of the teams.

Intermediate Quality Assurance Specialist

As the intermediate quality assurance specialist, you will be expected to supervise staff. You may also be required to:

• coordinate formal quality assurance review with information systems,
• take responsibility for the formal quality assurance role in audits and reviews,
• implement policies and standards and take into account standards and legislation,
• recommend new or replacement polices and standards,
• ensure that a consistently high standard for information systems is maintained,
• assess and evaluate current technologies and information systems trends,
• produce and coordinate quality assurance training programs,
• plan and perform audits,
• prepare wording for contracts and negotiate them,
• communicate quality assurance concepts to all staff and management, and
• train, discipline and appraise quality assurance staff.

Senior Quality Assurance Specialist

As the senior quality assurance specialist you will most likely be involved in planning, conducting and supervising complex informatics assignments. You will also be involved in designing and applying new methods and procedures and supervising staff. You could also be required to:

• coordinate a major quality assurance program at a management level,
• facilitate the implementation of new tools and techniques,
• manage formal quality assurance role in audits and milestone reviews,
• provide advice on and develop new or replacement policies,
• recommend, facilitate and promote the adoption of information system practices, etc.,
• take appropriate action to ensure integrity, safety and public acceptance of information systems,
• raise potential quality assurance issues with senior management,
• organize and conduct audits of new systems to ensure good performance,
• assess and evaluate quality assurance trends and methods in IS technology based,
• plan and lead quality audits,
• communicate and market communications concepts and solutions,
• prepare wording of contracts and negotiate them, and
• train, discipline and appraise staff.

Salary Range

$39,450 - $77,750

Education and Training

Junior Quality Assurance Specialist

Although there is no specific course work in quality assurance today, you need a university degree or college diploma with 1-2 years experience in the IT industry and specific job experience in this stream.

Full Working Quality Assurance Specialist

This level requires 2-3 years experience in the IT industry and specific job experience in addition to a university degree or college diploma.

Intermediate Quality Assurance Specialist

This level requires 3-5 years experience in the IT industry and specific job experience in addition to a university degree or college diploma.

Senior Quality Assurance Specialist

This level requires 5-7 years experience in the IT industry and specific job experience as well as a university degree or college diploma.