Re: Part Time QA?

[Sara Stewart <sara -at- sara-stewart -dot- com>]

Interestingly, this is an issue that also came up for me recently.  As a 
routine part of documentation, I have been submitting bug reports and 
instances of typos or inconsistencies in the interface.  My current 
employers decided they liked this service so much, they've not only 
adopted my method of error reporting as the company standard, but also 
are moving me into formal testing.  (I get to learn their testing 
harness later this week.)

I personally think doing testing is a great fit with technical writing, 
and I love working closely with developers, so I'm quite happy about it. 
  I have a similar background to PTW, I think, though.  If you're not 
sure about whether you'd like it or not, you might want to do some 
research on QA processes (if you have inside information, so much the 
better), and see how you feel about it.  Of course, you probably already 
did that. :)

Just my CDN$0.02 (now at a 30-year high in informational value!).  Take 
care, and good luck!

Sara Stewart


Pro TechWriter wrote:

> Personally, I really like the opportunity to do QA on a project. My skillset
> can really be valuable, because of my usabilty experience (garnered doing QA
> and user interface design), a tech writer's attention to detail :-) and the
> ability to communicate what the defects are, why they are defects, and
> suggestions for fixes if the defect is in the UI, error messages, or other
> user-oriented areas.
> 
> Geoff is correct that working more closely with the developers is a benefit.
> They came to appreciate my ability to keep track of all the changes, and my
> input as a "user advocate."
> 
> A final benefit of the experience is that I have three career tracks when
> jobs are scarce: QA tester, requirements analyst, and technical writer.
> 
> Good luck with your decision.
> PT
> 
>

-- 
Sara Stewart Communications
Technical Writing, Editing,
and Specialty Research Services
www.sara-stewart.com

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