How to Build Project Management Skills

The nature of outsourced QA requires that team managers, both onsite and offshore, work diligently to close the distance gap. Onsite team members must communicate openly with offshore managers to ensure that any critical issues are resolved quickly and that the final product meets an organization's standards. To collaborate most effectively, QA management teams must possess impeccable project management skills.

Most managers accrue these skills over time and with plenty of hands-on experience, but there are a few bullet points that you can enact on a daily basis to improve your management approach.

Are you partnering with an outsourced QA provider? Check that they integrate the following points into their strategy. At QASource, we use a hybrid onsite offshore model that produces exceptional results for our clients.

• Prioritize tasks according to the project's big picture.
• Define individual team member goals and align them with larger project goals.
• Treat mistakes as teachable moments, i.e. “How do we prevent this in the future?”
• Keep realistic goals and avoid over-commitment of time and resources.
• Create a culture that embraces idea sharing between teams.
• Monitor project progress alongside individual team member progress.
• Report daily progress status to management and stakeholders.
• Prepare risk mitigation plans if you anticipate possible delays.
• Review deliverables to ensure a high-quality product and check your process.

What else does an effective QA manager need to know? How can managers contribute directly to the quality of the product they are testing? To learn more about how QASource utilizes our hybrid offshore/onsite model, click here.

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