Most often companies of the bio-tech, bio-med, chemical and pharmaceutical industries have teams dedicated to assuring that when two things mix, no one gets hurt. However, with the California job market playing out against qualified job seekers over the past several years, these specific teams are not as readily found as HR teams would like.
Arguments for having a Quality Assurance (QA or Quality Control, QC) team are numerous in that the skill set required to do such testing is often hard to come by and therefore sought after; employees in other functions cannot take the time away to test products themselves; and knowing that (usually) a product, once passed through QA, is 100% ready to be released.
On the flip side, with company budgets and allocated funds to hire QA managers so low in California, even some growing and mid-sized companies have trouble justifying the existence of Quality Assurance teams. That can lead Project Managers to take on this role, which, unfortunately, quickly becomes an easy “out” for the company. Why is this?
- Often, waiting for a product to take a “detour” via QA manager, engineer, or QA department appears to not be cost-effective.
- It could be claimed that having more eyes checking quality throughout the regular production process can generate more consistent quality.
- In avoiding a QA process, there is never a time that the product is out of the direct start-to-finish production process.
- It could be said that keeping and training existing team members to have full accountability of their step in the process is more efficient.
Other factors, including the size of the company and the nature of the product or service itself come into play as well. So, what are QA managers and companies to do?
With opportunities to hold a career on a specific Quality Assurance or Quality Control team low, Quality Assurance managers and engineers should consider seeking roles within the overarching production process. These roles can provide the chance to see how the product came to be instead of only testing when it comes into their hands. By observing the full process, a company can utilize the skills and innovation of QA managers and engineers to make the products or services better from the start!
Did You Know?
Innovative Career Resources is a top-tier staffing agency which specializes in placing Quality Assurance personnel. Whether you are looking for great QA managers, engineers or technicians — or are looking for a job in the quality, science, engineering, bio-tech or pharmaceutical fields — we can help you find the perfect fit. Contact us today for personal attention towards finding the perfect employee or perfect job for you.
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Reference: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-product-managers-should-do-all-own-qa-testing-vince-law?trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A2137098331421894139314%2CVSRPtargetId%3A5961153599814803469%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary&trk=vsrp_influencer_content_res_name