Creating a QA Organizational Structure

When establishing a new QA organizational structure, one of the first activties is to determine what the QA organizational structure will look like.  It is important to gain executive approval and support with the QA organizational structure that you will build.  There are a few critical components of a QA organzation.  Those components are:

• Functional Testing
• Automated Testing
• Performance Testing
• Environment Management

Depending on the size of the QA organizational structure, there will be flexibility that you will be able to setup.  Usually the first focus area is going to be on the functional testing component.  Once that group is established, you will then be able to add the supporting cast.  For example, you don’t want to build the automation or performance team first because they will not necessarily have much work to do.  If you wanted to concentrate on two areas in parallel, you could setup the functional team with the environment management team.

If I were setting up a small to medium size organzation, I would appoint three leads or managers.  I would have functional testing lead, environments lead, and automation/performance lead.  This will allow sufficient focus with those disciplines.  If you have the luxury to appoint a fourth lead, I would separate automation and performance.  That will really allow your organzation to have the right amount of focus with all those disciplines.

That is just a general guide.  If you find that your organzation is not working as well as you think it should, it is probably a good idea to restructure in order to have the best QA organization possible.