?? What and who is a Principal QA?

Short Answer ??

• Principal QAs have different scopes of influence and goals. ??
• They are not needed in every company; it depends on the organization's structure and size. ??
• They are not managers and have no direct reports ??

Long Answer ???

Let's dive deeper into the world of Principal QAs and explore their roles, differences, similarities, and why they exist.

1. Understanding Principal QA Role ??

When you come across individuals with titles like "Staff" or "Principal," they typically operate on a:

• Wider scope, whether organization-wise or complexity-wise, surpassing that of a Senior QA. Seniors often have responsibilities limited to their team.
• Set of goals that differ significantly. Check out this article for more insight: Staff Engineers - What Do They Actually Do?

2. Names May Vary ??

It's worth noting that different companies may use various titles for individuals performing the same roles. In some organizations, a QA Lead might be the equivalent of a Principal QA.

But often Lead title implies that you have some direct reports and this makes you a person on the "Management" career trajectory. A Principal QA is someone who stays on the track of an individual contributor (aka IC).

3. Principal QA Archetypes ??

Even within the "Principal" title, people might not perform identical tasks. However, they usually fit into one of these 4 archetypes.

Check them out here: Staff Engineer Archetypes

4. Not a Universal Need ??

Principal QAs (and engineers) aren't necessary in every company. They become vital when the company:

1. Is large enough (200+ people).
2. Has been around for a significant period (5-7 years or more).
3. Has cross-functional teams with Testers/QAs embedded in them are working on a single product offering.

Challenges Principal QA Address ???

In such scenarios, Principal QAs tackle various challenges, including:

• Preventing test duplication effort (aka waste).
• Ensuring test coverage (sometimes isolated people skip/miss things).
• Developing efficient and secure testing tools/frameworks.
• Providing coaching and mentorship to team members.
• Representing testing/quality perspectives to business and wider stakeholder groups.
• Leading complex testing projects.

If you've made it this far, hats off to you! ?? But this is not the end of the article (yet)!

Bonus

For a more visual representation, check out this engineering ladders model here.

In the graph, D4 represents a typical senior engineer, D5 is for staff engineers, and D6 is for principals. One noticeable difference is the influence axis, which extends from "Multiple teams" to the "Company."