The Value of Quality Assurance

Ever since I finished my MBA, I’ve started to see Quality Assurance through a whole new lens. I’m constantly reminded of how misunderstood our discipline is, especially when people ask about my career.

“What do you do?”
“I’m a Director of QA.”
“QA?”
“Quality Assurance.”
“Oh, you test things?”

Cue the long explanation about what QA truly involves. Sure, I’m responsible for testing—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. QA is about so much more: it’s about building quality into every stage, preventing issues before they start, and driving real value for the business.

Early in my career, I probably would have just nodded along and said, “Yeah, I test things.” But the more I learned and practiced, the more I realized that kind of answer sells our discipline short.

Unfortunately, some parts of the QA community don’t help our cause. For every great book, speaker, or class out there, there are just as many resources that reinforce the “test monkey” stereotype. I recently helped some peers find online QA courses—most of what they found focused only on Quality Control, not Quality Assurance. These courses overlooked the proactive, strategic side of QA and instead taught people to run tests. That’s not enough.

Here’s the question I keep asking: why isn’t there a real diploma program for software QA? We have them for software engineering and development. I’m working to connect with post-secondary institutions to advocate for more robust and meaningful programs—something more than a certificate for attending a short course. If we want to legitimize QA, we need education that reflects the full scope and value of what we do.

As a QA community, it’s on us to show the world the real value of our discipline, and to keep that value alive within ourselves. We need to help one another learn, grow, and continually push the boundaries of what QA can be.

Let’s connect and discuss how we can drive real change—whether it’s through improved education, a stronger community, or simply sharing our stories. Reach out at jberriault@berriaultandassociates.com.
Together, we can move QA beyond the stereotypes and show its actual impact.