5

I saw a job ad for a QA Architect. I realized that I don't know what is the role of QA Architect in a team.

So, what does a QA Architect do in a team and what skill does he need to have both in terms of soft-skills and technical skills?

Also I would like to know if working as a developer, system engineer, QA Engineer and QA Developer is relevant for that position.

Improve this question
1
  • What responsibilities were listed in the job ad?
    – dzieciou
    May 1, 2015 at 12:54

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
14

I never see common agreement on any software-related titles.

In some shops where I have worked "Architect" implies a thinker, not a doer. For QA Architect, it means someone who thinks about QA, researches and suggests improved methods and metrics. Sometimes it's someone who trains others.

In other shops, "Architect" just means "very Senior". It's the top-level tester in the shop. Nothing more.

Your mileage may vary. Consult the job ads themselves for hints as to what "QA Architect" means for that particular company. And if you apply and get an interview, ask lots of questions. That is the only way you will know.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    Seems titles should be universal but Companies never seem to support this, so annoying.
    – Shane
    Dec 9, 2019 at 21:41
  • 1
    @Shane That's the nature of natural language. On one side it is very flexible and can capture many terms, on the other side it can be very ambigous. Look at the term of architect in everyday life. One can have skills to design small house, other -- bridges, and yet another sky-scrapers, depending whether we are talking about civil engineering or buildings.
    – dzieciou
    Sep 21, 2020 at 19:04
6

A qa architect is a person who design the building block of qa process. Basically this is more relevent to test automation where many things comes in picture. So his role is to place and consult the optimized way to place the block so that whole system is stable economic scalable, fast and optimized. Test automation uses a lot of resources like machines. Tools and services so this guy is responsible to stablish the system which follow the above mentioned guidelines.

Improve this answer
5

I could give you my best guess, but really you ought to ask them. Titles and responsibilities vary from one company to the next.

Improve this answer
2
  • Although responsibilities vary from company to company maybe there is some common agreement on what a QA Architect does.
    – Eduard Florinescu
    Apr 28, 2013 at 13:26
  • 6
    I never see common agreement on any software-related titles.
    – Joe Strazzere
    Apr 28, 2013 at 22:42
3

Two interesting reads, they offer great insights on senior QA roles:

Improve this answer
1

This article has a great definition of what a QA Architect is: https://medium.com/@maomrtnz/whats-a-qa-architect-9efc98037255

Improve this answer
0

QA Architect can also referred for individuals who build frameworks for QA tests and processes. Should I use Nunit, Xunit, JUnit, Selenium, Robotium, or one of the many other ums? Should I send test details to a log, to a DB, to a server? Do I use Jira, Gemini, etc... These are all questions an architect type person needs to answer. The specific title may vary depending on company, but the generic requirement to be able to answer these questions is a must.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.