I was wondering what your opinion is concerning the proper place within an organization for a company's quality organization. There appears to be a difference in opinion as to whether the QA organization should report to the development manager or directly to the CIO.
QUESTION POSED ON: 11 JAN 2006
QUESTION ANSWERED BY: David Foote
This is, of course, one of those "it depends" questions. Development organizations and CIOs vary widely. The main thing with QA organizations is the foundation upon which they are built. Six Sigma? Stay as broad-based as possible, as this is an enterprise model. TQM? Also benefits from broad support that a C-level exec can facilitate. ISO 9000:2000? This one can work with a narrower foundation, like a development or audit function.
Then there are cultural issues: What is your governance model currently? Is it undergoing a transformation? Do you have an enterprise project management office that consolidates and directs corporate-wide training, or do you have decentralized PMOs? What about executive staffing: Has a new CIO recently come aboard? Does the current one prefer to consolidate power or delegate to strong second bananas? You see what I mean -- you have to work within your current governance policies and customs. Contact me directly if you can be more specific to your circumstance, if that is what's driving the query.
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