Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a troubleshooting technique used to identify, mitigate, and resolve issues. In the software development realm, RCAs often involve multiple people, making them a costly endeavor. Because of this, many organizations do not participate in performing an RCA, or save them for severe incidents. This isn’t necessarily a bad business practice, but RCAs are an essential part of continuous improvement for the software development team and project growth.

Recently, I was asked what I usually do to set up a new Quality Department. I have done it several times over my career, and here are a few lessons I’ve learned. It isn’t a difficult task, but it requires analysis and project planning.

When I was a QA Manager, I was frequently asked the question, “Why do I need to pay for testing?” Quality is a cost. It costs money to test and maintain those tests. The trick for project managers is to show the value of quality.