Starting her career in customer support at a start-up, Alison McGuigan quickly found her way into Mobile QA, a move that set the foundation for her leadership journey. She played a key role in expanding the QA team, establishing core processes and shaping the company’s approach to quality assurance during a time of rapid growth.
Over the next decade, she advanced from QA Lead to Senior QA Lead and eventually QA Manager, developing a strong quality program that became central to the organization’s success. After guiding her team through a company-wide restructuring, Alison took time to reflect on her strengths, values and long-term goals that lead her next chapter at Golden 1 Credit Union.
Through this article, McGuigan discusses her views on quality assurance as both a discipline and a mindset; one that shapes culture, strategy and trust across an enterprise.
Building Quality Around Mission, Not Just Technology
A credit union offers unique opportunities to learn and grow. The approach to QA at a credit union is very different from a technology-first company. At its heart, a credit union is dedicated to serving its members’ financial needs, which makes technology an enabler of that mission rather than the core product. Strategy is the driving force behind any successful QA program. At a credit union, its focus is on risk-control and finding ways to move quickly while working within a heavily regulated industry.
Quality Isn’t Taught, It’s Proven
It takes consistent effort and a lot of patience, both of which are key traits within quality assurance. While executive buy-ins are essential, the real shift happens through trust-building and delivering meaningful results. We frame everything through a data-driven lens. You must steadily shift the metrics you report on to highlight true value vs. the easy numbers. As the data starts to show the value, it becomes a cultural mindset instead of a checkbox.
“Metrics need to involve what costs were prevented along with reduced. Proactively providing insights on trends, potential risks, and opportunities for improvement shifts QA from “testers” to strategic risk advisors.”
Quality becomes truly sustainable when it’s seen as a shared responsibility. I like to frame it from two different lens. First, when everyone understands that quality is a team effort, it creates a culture of shared ownership. Every product or service is touched by many hands. Second, each team member needs to be encouraged to raise concerns, suggest improvements and contribute to better outcomes.
Technology by Design, Not by Impulse
Like anything, you must plan and work within the confines of your reality.
When deciding between introducing new technologies or refining existing processes, it starts by clearly understanding the problem and aligning solutions with business goals and member impact. Tie everything to concrete business objectives within a clear timebox, “We’ll invest X time/resources to implement Y and reassess if Z outcomes aren’t met.” It’s about staying up to date on the current trends and having a clear understanding of the company’s objectives and risk tolerance.
Show the Value Before You Say It
Never underestimate the value of communication and meeting people where they are.
QA is only as valuable as what you can show, not just tell. Business partners need to see the value of their specific area of concern. Metrics need to involve what costs were prevented along with reduced. Proactively providing insights on trends, potential risks and opportunities for improvement shifts QA from “testers” to strategic risk advisors.
