1. QA ANCHOR ADVOCATE FOR
QUALITY
CREATING A CULTURE OF QUALITY

2. INTRODUCTIONS
• Bob Small “QA Bob”
• Since 1998 I has worked in IT as a developer, network admin, Scrum Master, DBA, QA/Test Engineer, and
DevOps. Bob’s experience and focus has been testing in GUI's, browsers, desktop applications,
Telephony, IVRs, APIs, Data Schema, and Server applications.
• Recently Bob has been focused on Continuous Delivery and Context-driven Testing. Bob has presented
talks on Continuous Delivery and Context-driven Testing at recent Star conferences
• Rob Swoboda “Rob”
• Rob Has been in IT since 1997 with over 17 years in all aspects of software testing across a wide variety
of industries. Rob is a alumni Speaker at Star-East 2010.

3. CHANGING WORLD = NEW ROLES “QA-X” ROLE
1. How is the Software Development world changing and
what does that mean to testing
2. New roles: Technical QA “TQA”, QA anchor, BA/SA “BSA”,
3. What are these new roles and why are they needed?

4. WHAT IS THIS NEW ROLE “QA ANCHOR”
• QA Anchor does and how this job function works?
• What type of test cases does a QA Anchor write?
• What types testing are the QA anchors responsible for signing off on?
• What artifacts does a QA anchor produce?
• What type of QA person and back ground is required for a QA Anchor?

5. MEET THE QA ANCHOR ROLE!
How the QA Anchor job function works:
1. The QA Anchor infuses the software creation culture and ethos with quality
behaviors and habits to produce working software.
2. The QA Anchor strives to be the glue that holds projects together.
3. The QA Anchor collaborates.
4. The QA Anchor Advocate and Evangelize.
5. The QA Anchor Advocate Automation.
6. The QA Anchor lets go of Functional testing and empower the entire team to
own quality.

6. MEET THE QA ANCHOR ROLE!
7. The QA Anchor Drive use of Open Source
8. The QA Anchor Coaches and Enabling.
9. The QA Anchor strives to learn something new every day.
10. The QA Anchor is an integral part of a dynamic culture.
11. As a Quality Anchor, you help to create outstanding user
experiences.

7. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS
????????

8. TYPE OF QA PERSON MAKES FOR A QA ANCHOR?
ONE WHO HAS:
1. Experience with open source test automation tools and frameworks.
2. A rich breadth of experience in web and mobile fundamentals.
3. An eagerness to do what it takes to get the job done.
4. Experience in mentoring and executing Agile, Lean, and Continuous Delivery
best practices.
5. A disruptive attitude towards technology innovation.

9. TYPE OF QA BACK GROUND NEED FOR A QA ANCHOR ?
Skills/Experience needed:
1. Communicates extremely effectively.
2. Monitors, evaluates, manages and executes quality measures.
3. Works closely with leadership to produce product quality maturity.
4. Reviews progress toward the goals regularly with leadership.
5. Performance metrics program for quality improvement initiatives.
6. Conducts audits and analyses findings.
7. Coordinates and facilitates quality assurance activities.

10. THE QA ANCHOR’S ENVIRONMENT
• Can vary but….
• Works best in Extreme programming, Paired Development, Test Driven Development
environments.
• Here the QA Anchor mentors pairs of Developers to functionally test their code
before deployment.
• The QA Anchor helps to create an effective flexible Testing methodology utilizing
Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) testing in conjunction with a Context Driven
approach. The primary Test Method/ Techniques of The QA Anchor being Exploratory
Testing in a Session-Based Test Management framework.
• The QA Anchor motto “Road blocks don’t hang me up!!!

11. THE QA ANCHOR AT AAA
1. Here we follow the digital way.
2. Based on the agile manifesto with success measured by working software.
3. The QA Anchor takes the accumulation of all their skills, past experience and
wisdom and articulate them in a dynamic and intuitive manner.
4. The end result is not Doc’s $ Procs but working software achieved by infusing
the culture and behavior of the team with quality practices the are ingrain in
“The way we make software”!

12. ?????
•????????

13. WHAT ARE QA ANCHOR ARTIFACTS
• What type of documentation and testing are QA Anchors responsible for???
• Answer Not much!
• Exploratory test deliverable.
• Exploratory-Charter-Template empty.docx
• Exploratory-Charter-Template.docx
• QA Anchor Engagement Final 12-24-15.docx

14. QA ANCHOR METHODS
• Engagement
• Walk about
• QA Anchor Engagement Guidelines
• Exploratory test activities and test techniques we use:
• Paired exploratory testing.
• Time box:
• 3 min Recording , Video time box executions

15. IN SUMMARY
1. The QA Anchor guides.
2. The QA Anchor empowers.
3. The QA Anchor not focused on doing testing.
4. The QA Anchor is Advocate.
5. The QA Anchor is hands on in…..
Some text was taken from https://www.thoughtworks.com/jobs/163468