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Subject:Re: Part Time QA? From:"Suzette Leeming" <suzette -dot- leeming -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"Sara Stewart" <sara -at- sara-stewart -dot- com> Date:Tue, 22 May 2007 17:44:54 -0400
I think it's a really good fit for techwriters - in a sense, we are the
first line of QA. Not everyone enjoys it though. I always welcome the chance
to do QA; it's a nice break from my daily rut.
Suzette Leeming
Stouffville, Ontario
On 5/22/07, Sara Stewart <sara -at- sara-stewart -dot- com> wrote:
>
> 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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