The session will focus on the ISTQB certification and how the CSTB supports it.
ISTQB – Vision, Syllabus Scheme, Working Groups, Partner Program
CSTB – Goal, History, Local activities, International Activities, Volunteering
When: Tuesday, November 25th starting at 6:15 p.m. (until 7:30 p.m.) EST
Cost: $10.00 CAD
Register at https://tassq.org/events
Last month we talked about how October was Quality Month. We want to follow on from that with a comment about how “Quality is Everyone’s Responsibility”. This came up repeatedly at the conference last week (amongst all the talks on AI in QA)
If you have heard any of the following statements you may be in trouble. Our response is in the second line of each listed comment.
1. We are doing quality.
Quality is not done. It is a process that is on going.
2. We have a Quality Assurance department and Quality is their concern.
Quality is not just one department.
3. We have finished the Quality Assurance.
Quality is never done.
4. Quality Assurance is built into our processes and we have no need to change.
You were perfect from the start?
5. We have never had a Quality Assurance problem.
Now is a good time to stop the first one.
Quality cannot be added to a product that is poor quality from the start. It is not something that can be inserted into a product after it is built.
If you feel that this is you, get in touch to discuss where you can improve. www.nvp.ca/contact
The Toronto Association of Systems and Software Quality (TASSQ) is pleased to announce the Webinar for November 2025.
Topic: CSTB in a Nutshell
Presenter: Amanda Logue
Location: Online, Zoom
When: Tuesday, November 25th @6:15 pm (until 7:30 pm) EST
Cost: $10.00 CAD
Register at https://tassq.org/events
Test Managers play a critical role in overseeing the quality assurance (QA) and software testing aspects of projects. In larger companies, a QA Manager often manages multiple projects simultaneously. In contrast, smaller companies or startups may have only one project requiring QA or software testing. In such environments, it is common for another team member to take on QA responsibilities in addition to their primary duties. However, this approach can lead to inadequate attention to QA and may result in complications later, especially when there is a need to demonstrate due diligence to investors, clients, or auditors. In these situations, recreating testing artifacts can require significant extra effort.
Please take a look at Case Study 13: https://nvp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Fractional Management Case Study.pdf for how this can be addressed.
Topic: Enough is Enough – When is enough visual test coverage?
Presenter: Derek Choy
Location: Online, Zoom
When: Tuesday, October 21at at 6:15 p.m. (until 7:30 p.m.) EST
Cost: $10.00 CAD
Register at: https://tassq.org/events
Abstract:
Enough is Enough – When is enough visual test coverage?
The session will focus on how QA teams can accurately assess whether their applications have sufficient visual test coverage using modern tools and best practices. The presentation will introduce the concept of visual coverage, which goes beyond code coverage to reveal untested, under-tested, and high-risk areas of your user interfaces. We will explore technologies like visual heatmaps and intuitive gap analysis to instantly identify missing or redundant tests, helping teams streamline their QA processes and maintain consistent quality.
Presenter Bio:
Derek Choy is a seasoned technology executive with extensive experience in quality assurance (QA) and engineering leadership within fast-growing SaaS and enterprise software organizations. As CTO and previously COOr at Rainforest QA, Derek has been instrumental in driving product and technical innovation for one of the leading platforms in on-demand QA, scaling globally distributed engineering and product teams, and helping companies achieve robust, automated software testing processes. Derek holds degrees from Imperial College London and Stanford University and has served as a strategic advisor in cloud testing and machine learning QA initiatives. He is widely recognized for advancing scalable QA strategies.
Register at: https://tassq.org/events
If you get the feeling that this is a question you encounter a lot, you are not alone. We get a lot of calls and emails asking us to explain this question. Of course, the answer is dependent on who is asking the question.
People want to know why they should consider it and, more importantly, the benefit. Sometimes they are simply looking for something to carry back to the project or department.
In order to answer the question, we need to appeal to the broader costs calculated over multiple projects.
We define QA as Process Improvement and processes generally apply to multiple projects (or at least can be applied to multiple projects). Hence the need for long term measurements and metrics.
The simplest example is Defect Management. A simple process to ensure all defects are addressed and handled only once by each member of the team would remove a lot of redundancy.
Other examples include Testcase creation; Testing; Summary reporting; Development; and Requirements management. With the advent of AI, this has become much more critical to get right. The chances of going off track at high speed have increased substantially.
Most people we speak to answer that question with a resounding NO; they are not satisfied with their testing. The answer may vary from stakeholder to stakeholder, and the intensity and source of the dissatisfaction may be different. However, doing something about it is a different matter. The most recent of many examples involved someone who complained about the testing and was promptly put in charge. Not the result they were aiming for at the time!
Solving the dissatisfaction is very difficult. Process improvement is resisted on many levels and there is usually a large number of potential improvements that may impact the perception. The starting point is with a stakeholder survey and process assessment; this gives the basis for supportable incremental changes to improve satisfaction.
Take a look at Assessments for a starting point on what to include.
TASSQ is pleased to announce their September 2025 through February 2026 schedule.