Quality Assurance - Tasks of the QA Manager
What is the QA manager responsible for?
The most important areas of responsibility of the QA
manager are:
- Drawing up and updating the QA plan
- Advising / assisting with the definition of the quality
requirements made on the product
- Supporting and advising the members of the
project team in executing QA measures
(e.g. reviews)
- Checking the compliance
and correct execution of measures set out in the
QA plan (development method, project-specific
measures)
- Analysis of systematic errors in
the project
- Initiation and monitoring of corrective
and preventive measures
- Drawing up quality reports
- Maintaining contacts
with QA departments outside the project team
(responsible QM, centralized quality management)
- Assisting on project standards
and checking their compliance.
What specific tasks does the QA manager have?
The QA manager does not need to plan and execute
all the QA measures himself. He is merely responsible
for the drawing up of the QA plan and quality
reports. The specific implementation in the project must
be set down on a project-specific basis (detailed
responsibilities must be documented in the project plan).
The activity of the QA manager can therefore vary
between two extremes in a project:
|
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Minimum variant:
The QA manager is at the edge of or outside the
actual project events and merely provides
specifications and carries out controlling
functions |
Very low effort; global project know-how may
be more effective |
Relatively superficial; danger of being seen
as a supervisor; may not understand the real
problems involved in the project |
Maximum variant:
The QA manager is fully integrated into the
project process and deals with QA and development
activities |
The QA manager knows what things are
"really" about and can therefore plan
and execute QA measures far more efficiently; the
QA manager will be accepted more readily by the
project team due to his involvement |
Possible conflict of goals, role conflict;
the project manager has to function as both
colleague and superior |
The area of responsibility of the QA manager from the
perspective of the development method should tend more
towards the maximum variant since this yields advantages
over the long term (including economic advantages).
|