Quality Assurance and Quality Control Skill Sets: What I Look For
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Transcript of Quality Assurance and Quality Control Skill Sets: What I Look For
Quality Assurance and Quality Control Skill Sets:
What I Look For
Rick Neighbarger, CMQ/OE, CSQA, CSQENationwide Insurance
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Approach
Definition of Terms
Skills/Competencies that make QA/QC practitioners successful
Ways to acquire/maintain these skills
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From CSQA Body of Knowledge
Producer’s View of Quality
Customer’s View of Quality
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What Exactly is Quality?
From CSQA Body of Knowledge
Producer’s View of Quality• Doing the right thing• Doing it the right way• Doing it right the first
time• Doing it on time without
exceeding cost Customer’s View of Quality
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What Exactly is Quality?
From CSQA Body of Knowledge Producer’s View of Quality Customer’s View of Quality
• Receiving the right product for their use
• Being satisfied that their needs have been met
• Meeting their expectations• Being treated with integrity,
courtesy and respect
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What Exactly is Quality?
From CSQA Body of Knowledge“Very few individuals can differentiate between quality control and quality assurance. Most quality assurance groups, in fact, practice quality control….”
“Quality means meeting requirements and meeting customer needs, which means a defect-free product from both the producer’s and the customer’s viewpoint. Both quality control and quality assurance are used to make quality happen.”
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Quality Assurance vs.Quality Control
Question:
How do you hear the terms “QA” and “QC” used or confused
around you?
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Quality Assurance vs.Quality Control
From CSQA Body of Knowledge
Quality Control (QC): processes and methods used to
compare product quality to requirements and applicable standards
action taken when a nonconformance is detected
reviews and testing, focus on detection/ correction of defects before shipment of products
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Quality Assurance vs.Quality Control
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Quality Assurance vs.Quality Control
From CSQA Body of Knowledge
Quality Assurance (QA): set of activities, including
facilitation, training, measurement and analysis
provides confidence that processes are established and continuously improved , to produce products or services that conform to requirements and are fit for use
From CSQA Body of Knowledge
Quality Assurance (QA): staff function; prevents problems by heading
them off promotes quality concepts, quality attitudes
and discipline for management and workers requires knowing how to make people
conscious of the personal and organizational benefits of quality
faces major impediments from results-oriented management (perception of little need for a function that emphasizes managing and controlling processes)
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Quality Assurance vs.Quality Control
Are these activities QA or QC?
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Quality Assurance vs.Quality Control
analyzing patterns of defects captured in document reviews
performance testing software
conducting an internal audit of the performance test process
writing test plans
training staff on the document review process
writing requirements documents
conducting document reviews on project work products
QC
QA
QC
QA
QC
QA
What do I want a quality control practitioner to be good at?
breaking things! (to improve product quality)
attention to detail technical skills: relevant
platforms, apps, languages, tools
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QA vs. QC Skills
What do I want a quality control practitioner to be good at?
The discipline of testing test planning, design, execution risk analysis white box vs. black box testing agile test techniques (where
appropriate) exploratory testing
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QA vs. QC Skills
What do I want a quality assurance practitioner to be good at?
improving how we do things! (to improve process quality)
ambassadors, diplomats trainers patient and persistent knowledge of process maturity models
(CMMI, ISO 9001) in-depth experience in multiple roles in
SDLC and business
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QA vs. QC Skills
How do I get these skills?
70/20/10 approach to adult learning 70% experiential: hands-on
opportunities 20% relational:
coaching/mentoring 10% traditional: formal training
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Skills Attainment &Maintenance
What: Traditional learning (10%)
Certifications and certification prep courses• QAI CSQA, CSTE; ASQ
Vendor courses• SQE, ESI, IIST
Conferences• SQE STAR, QAI/ASQ International/Regional
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Skills Attainment &Maintenance
How:
National/local organization memberships/meetings
Web page/mail list Peer references
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Skills Attainment &Maintenance
What: relational learning (20%)
Job shadowing Time with SMEs Formal coaching/mentoring
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Skills Attainment &Maintenance
How:
Formal company program Approach manager or a
coworker who does it well Extracurricular coaching
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Skills Attainment &Maintenance
What: Experiential Learning (70%)
Project assignments Process improvement teams
(PITs) Committees
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Skills Attainment &Maintenance
How:
Ask manager to help with upcoming opportunities
Join Process Improvement Team (PIT)
Participate in/organize committees/initiatives
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Skills Attainment &Maintenance
Quality assurance and quality control are different practices
Different skills are required for each practice
Several avenues available to acquire/maintain these skills
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Recap