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Quality Assurance for software has traditionally been siloed either within a company or even within a project. There are quality assurance people who are frequently seconded to a project with a mandate to get the project out the door on time and preferably under budget.

You have done everything that you can think of internally and you have spoken to outside people and used their input to further improve.

One of the key considerations of Quality Assurance is to see how activities interrelate and whether a change in one can have beneficial impacts on many others.

During the past year, we gathered up some articles and LinkedIn posts indicating a desire to improve Quality Assurance. Most people seemed to feel that this needed to be a country lead initiative or at least a consortium of several large companies along with educational institutions. While that might be a laudable aim, it is unlikely to occur.

We are continuing our series on quality assurance. We have deliberately left out the coding piece of this because that is the piece that is changing the most frequently and processes that we had in the past have been superseded considerably by the advent of AI and the ability to grab code from certain repositories.

Are we now immune to the surprise caused by failures in computer systems?

“Does your Software Testing Pay” is the question we posted. We then posted a simple calculation for a ROI.

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere in software testing right now. Testers are experimenting with tools, generating test cases, writing automation scripts, and even reviewing code with AI. On the surface, it feels like a massive leap forward.

Quality Assurance Process Improvement is the current topic in our Blog Series. A lot of organizations won\’t act on the Assessment results if they don\’t have a plan for moving forward. This is particularly true if the Assessment has not been tailored to the particular company in question. A standardized Assessment process generates standard recommendations which may not be applicable. Make sure you detail your expectations at the beginning of the Assessment so you get value from the process and your expenditure of time.

Ongoing Process Improvement is the second critical aspect of process implementation. Last week we identified the components of a process. Once they are identified and it has been determined if they are applicable then the next step is Process Improvement.

Today we want to focus on the root cause analysis.

Recently we discussed a misconception about Quality Assurance. Judging from some of the feedback we received, the post struck a nerve

Two days ago we asked two $10,000 dollar questions and this week we promised the possible answers. Unlike the questions, which are specific to the final client and the suppliers, the answers are more general and apply to both.

Is there any difference between software and manufacturing? We recently participated in a preparation session for an upcoming webinar. The person we will be presenting with is involved Quality Management for Products while I was representing Software.

Normally one of our mantras is as little paper as possible. Only ink signed contracts or items that should not exist online longer than necessary would be printed. So far we have succeeded in cutting the paper to a minimum. Less than 20 pages for all the work to date this year.

Why QA is so often an afterthought? Is it because QA is ‘traditionally at the end of the project”?

One of the problems QA people have is deciding how much proof is enough.

Recently I was asked to provide a short history of a local Quality Assurance organization.

Fast Food ordering

It has been an interesting first half of the year. A rush of webinars addressing the impact of AI on along with several conferences occurred.

Buying Quality means different things.

In the last post we asked whether testing has been successful in reducing risk. Assuming it has then the next steps are to consider how Risk might be further reduced, particularly by considering processes that might be outside of the direct SDLC.

You have worked through all the groups in your organization and now everyone is on the Quality path. There are two further recommendations before we drop this topic.

June 2026 Seminars

The addition of AI has made systems less deterministic so changes may occur in production after Go-Live that impact both the functionality and performance of the system.

Measuring Success with generally available software and AI

Quality assurance planning

What happens if you run out of ideas for Process Improvement

Multiple streams melded into one package for go-live

What to do when Quality Improvement runs out of ideas.

Reporting testing POV. Multiple streams were necessary but the merging was not well organised.

Help CTOs and Product/Engineering leaders make delivery predictable again, by fixing decision flow, quality risk, and leadership operating rhythm

Importance of the Reliability of Measurement.

Why counts sometimes differ

Seminars May and June 2026

Measurements are needed to provide further information and make decisions. That brings up further problems…

Need to count defect returns

May and June seminars in the GTa

Coming Webinars and conferences

Scar story and QA

This conference is specifically designed for experts in software testing, quality assurance, and quality engineering, and it aims to provide a thrilling new gathering tailored to their needs. The field is currently experiencing a revolution with the introduction of AI, making this an ideal moment for professionals to take charge and stay ahead of the curve. By attending this one-day event in May, participants will have the opportunity to network with industry pioneers who are shaping the future, as well as leverage the power of AI through interactive workshops. Further information at: https://nationalsoftwaretestingconference.com/about/

How to handle multiple streams.

Addressing insufficient information

Issues potentially caused by AI.

Coming Webinars

What is Coaching and why is it sed

Quality Assurance versus Quality Control

Handling a large project in mid stream

Large Project with multiple vendors, clients and a critical outcome

Considerations for QA and QC for a developing product.

Things that are feared for 2026 in IT

QA description

Some of the changes that occur with AI.

Some issues in testing an AI infused system.

You can purchase and execute static (SAST) and dynamic (DAST) security testing to look at outside threats. What about the other direction? How do you prevent damaging information from flowing out of your organization? Someone inadvertently attaches a document with sensitive information to an email. The email address auto-completes to the wrong person and you hit send too quickly.

Use Code TASSQ10 for a discount.

Role of truth in QA

A variation on Murphy\’s Law

The UK’s most valued software testing conference is coming to Toronto! With nearly 20 years of supporting QA professionals, we are now bringing NCTC-C to your region! This ONE-DAY conference will offer you with some top-tier insights, workshops, and speakers. Same success story as the London conference, but now closer to home for the North American tech community.

Part 3 of the information gathering series

Application of Murphy\’s law to QC and QA

Application of Murphy\’s law to QC and QA

Description of reasons for Process Improvement based on a variation of Murphy\’s Law.

Project Processes that add time without adding value.