Day in the Life: Software Quality Assurance Consultant
Reflecting on My Journey Into Consulting
I recently was asked about my experience being a Software Quality Assurance (SQA) consultant. It got me thinking about what’s different and what’s not from my pre consulting jobs to now. I’d avoided consulting for years wanting stability because I had a family I was helping support.
Stability in Consulting: Debunking the Myth
Not all consulting jobs are one contract and you’re done. Some have the concept of a “bench” where much like baseball those who aren’t currently working are waiting, honing their skills while the business development team is looking for another opening that is a good fit. During bench time, the consultant is still eligible for benefits and pay, so there is a lot more stability.
Hitting the Ground Running: Onboarding as a Consultant
The onboarding process looks different for consultants. There isn’t a new hire class and benefits enrollment, but instead, after a brief morning of onboarding, you’re expected to hit the ground running after a day or two of getting set up with a computer to use and introductions to the team. This often means learning new technologies quickly. It also means that consultants need to quickly build a relationship with their team including a good rapport with those building the application they’re testing.
A Day in the Life
Once up to speed, the day to day activities don’t vary much between a Full Time Employee (FTE) and a consultant. There are still the daily stand ups to attend, tests to write, tests to execute, defects to log, and questions to answer from the team and business to answer. Ideally they’re one of the team and treated as such, often with the team not even knowing that the person isn’t an FTE.
Managing Dual Relationships and Reporting
There often is a difference when it comes to status and time reporting. As a consultant you want to touch base with your client manager to show the value you’re providing and to build the relationship but you also need to let your consulting company know how things are going too. Similarly it’s not uncommon to log the time you’ve worked in two systems, one for the client and one for the consulting company.
Work-Life Balance: A Welcome Change
Most of the time I’m working 40 hours a week for my client, an hour or two for my consulting company (for meetings and training) and I’m done. Comparing that to the 50+ hours a week I was doing as a salaried FTE, I’m getting a much better work/personal life balance.
The Consultant Advantage: Asking the Right Questions
Being a consultant does allow you to bring a new perspective to the team on the way things are done and often gives you the freedom to ask the questions others maybe haven’t stopped to ask or in some cases are afraid to ask. You can step back and ask the ever important question of “Why is this done this way? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to do it this other way?”
Final Thoughts: No Regrets
Do I regret my decision to switch to consulting? Overall, I’m really enjoying consulting. It’s giving me the opportunity to work with a variety of teams in a number of different industries. I’m also encouraged more than I ever have been in previous positions, to build my skills (including paid training) because in addition to it benefiting me, it benefits my consulting company by making me more marketable to potential clients in the future.
