Testing finds problems in product.
QA finds problems in process.
Testers can work through a test plan, and tell you how many bugs they found in a particular build.
QA can predict, from the trend in the bug counts, when a product will finally reach the quality target.
Testers measure that product meets its requirements.
QA ensures that those same requirements include the behaviors which make testing more cost effective.
Testers tend to acquire knowledge of the user domain or the production domain.
QA tends to acquire knowledge of the development domain.
February 20, 2003 8:19 PM
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As I read this, I thought "as a project manager I want QA, because I want to know how we're tracking to the schedule and the quality gate." But I got to the domain knowledge bit and I'm not sure I can live without at least some Tester-think. So, is it a balance? How do you tell you've got the right mix on the team?
Speaking of Nail-Tinted glasses, I had a former boss who was absolutely convinced that Fagin was right and that if detailed inspections were conducted on all the code, then there wouldn't be any need for QA.
Unsurprisingly, I didn't agree...
Comment by: Michael Croft March 16,2003