Press Releases

BenchmarkQA Expands to Support Growth - Warren McLeod at the Helm of Consulting Services
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Edina, MN, August 9, 2010 – BenchmarkQA, an Edina-based quality assurance consulting, staffing and training services company, has recently expanded their internal staff and service delivery capabilities.

With the addition of a vice president of consulting services and a senior recruiter, BenchmarkQA is poised to expand beyond their already impressive growth in recent years. “Our strong client relationships and excellent reputation in our industry helped us avoid any downturn in our business over the last two years. Despite the economy, we grew revenue by 30% last year and are growing on that same trend line this year.” stated Molly Decklever who was promoted to senior vice president in conjunction with the new staff additions.

Senior Recruiter Amber Ahlberg brings more than eight years in IT recruiting, with a portion of her experience focused in the niche of quality assurance and testing. “We are thrilled to have her deep technical knowledge to help us identify and bring the best talent to our customers. She understands and respects the level of talent we require. Her professionalism will ensure we build and maintain relationships for the long-term -- within our existing network of QA career professionals as well as those she will introduce to our organization,” stated Molly Decklever.

New Vice President of Consulting Services Warren McLeod will have over-site for all BenchmarkQA consulting engagements and special projects. McLeod’s extensive expertise in the more technical aspects of testing (performance testing, lifecycle management tools, automation, test environments, etc.), in combination with his deep commitment to being a solution provider, makes him an immensely valuable asset to BenchmarkQA and their clients. “I help customers see the possibilities by showing them what can be done with the right tools and the right resources. Working in partnership with the client to problem solve and remove pain points is truly satisfying work,” stated McLeod. More… Full Press Release

Testing in the Cloud Event Hosted by BenchmarkQA with Guest Speaker from Microsoft
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November 8, 2009, Minneapolis, MN – On November 5th, BenchmarkQA welcomed a software quality assurance leader from Microsoft Corporation to speak on the topic of “Testing in the Cloud” for their fall Software Quality Forum event. This event was held in conjunction with the Twin Cities Quality Assurance Association’s (TCQAA) monthly meeting, and had over sixty quality assurance professionals in attendance.

BenchmarkQA Publishes White Paper on Creating Efficiencies in the Software Development Lifecycle
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September 3, 2009, Minneapolis, MN – BenchmarkQA today announced the release of a three-part white paper entitled “Makin’ Lemonade! Maximizing Your Resources in a Sour Economy.” The paper is based on material presented by Senior Consultant Betty Schaar at the company’s August 7th Software Quality Forum and includes best practices from the company’s 22-year quality assurance consulting practice.

BenchmarkQA Publishes White Paper with Findings from Software Test Outsourcing Survey
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May 15, 2009, Minneapolis, MN – BenchmarkQA today announces the release of a white paper that describes the results of a survey and accompanying research into the challenges, benefits, expectations and experiences of individuals involved in the outsourcing of software testing. The white paper is based on a survey conducted by BenchmarkQA asking IT professionals about their expectations and experiences with outsourcing the software development and test functions, both onshore and offshore. Outsourcing data from leading consulting and research firms is also included in the document.

BenchmarkQA Expands QA Practice with Sheila Conway Addition
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Minneapolis, MN, January 16, 2009 – BenchmarkQA, a Minneapolis-based quality assurance consulting, staffing and training company, has recently expanded their consulting services with the addition of Sheila Conway as a senior consultant. In addition to delivering BenchmarkQA’s new Quick Audit process consulting service, Sheila is developing a data warehouse testing consulting practice for BenchmarkQA which includes proprietary materials and intellectual property, and a data warehouse/ETL QA training program.

BenchmarkQA Hosts "Creating Test Metrics That Actually Mean Something"
Software Quality Forum
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Minneapolis, MN, November 14, 2008 — Senior QA Consultant Dr. Steven G. Anderson, a highly-regarded master of test data, was the featured presenter for BenchmarkQA’s 3rd 2008 Quality Forum. Over 40 guests listened intently while Dr. Anderson demonstrated his expertise in how to communicate testing progress with development teams, project managers, and internal leaders.

Rick Hults to Lead BenchmarkQA Sales Initiatives
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Minneapolis, MN, October 1, 2008 – BenchmarkQA, a Minneapolis-based quality assurance consulting, contract staffing and training company, has today expanded its sales team with the addition of Rick Hults as director of business development. Rick Hults will be responsible for managing existing client relationships and seeking out new opportunities in the business analysis and QA arenas by promoting BenchmarkQA’s consulting, staffing and training services, and introducing several new service offerings including “Quick Audit” and “Quality Path.”

BenchmarkQA Hosts “Writing Testable Requirements” Software Quality Forum
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Minneapolis, MN, June 30, 2008 — BenchmarkQA hosted another full house at their quarterly Software Quality Forum on June 27. The presentation focused on why and how to write software requirements that can be fully tested. Mark Nelson, a senior quality assurance manager with BenchmarkQA, shared the knowledge he has obtained throughout a broad 25 year career in information technology.

BenchmarkQA Hosts "True Quality Begins Long Before Testing"   Full Press Release

Minneapolis, MN, April 10, 2008 — BenchmarkQA welcomed Twin Cities software development professionals to an in-depth presentation and discussion focused on why and how quality should be incorporated into every phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). BenchmarkQA Senior Consultant Betty Schaar spoke to a lively, over-capacity crowd, sharing BenchmarkQA’s philosophy of TRUE quality.

BenchmarkQA Hosts Test Automation Event   Full Press Release

Minneapolis, MN, November 15, 2007 — BenchmarkQA welcomed Twin Cities Quality Assurance professionals to a three hour event focused on software test automation. BenchmarkQA consultant Gary Hansberger educated the group on “Ten Ways to Ensure Automation Failure” providing a humorous look at why automation so often fails. By giving us reasons for failure, Gary also provided valuable insight on how to increase the odds of being successful with automation.

BenchmarkQA and 3M Host Agile Event Focused on Quality Assurance   Full Press Release

Minneapolis, MN, August 6, 2007 — BenchmarkQA welcomed Twin Cities Quality Assurance professionals to a three hour event focused on Agile software development.  Representatives of BenchmarkQA, 3M SEMS division and HighJump (a 3M Company) presented, followed by a panel discussion that enabled attendees to ask questions of and learn from their peers about how to take advantage of the best that Agile has to offer.

About BenchmarkQA

BenchmarkQA, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, has provided exceptional quality assurance consulting and testing services to its clients for more than 20 years. BenchmarkQA helps software project teams deliver high caliber software with greater efficiency and cost control, through process improvement strategies, training, guidance and the productivity of highly-skilled QA professionals.

For more information, please contact: Rick Hults, 952.392.2394