2022: Let’s sum it up!

Welcome to our annual year in review, and read on to discover more about our accomplishments in 2022!

Disseminating valuable QA knowledge

a1qa strives to develop the quality assurance field and spread the value of independent QA. We help our customers both assess and then improve their software quality and internal QA processes in order to optimize overall performance and stay ahead of the curve. Throughout the year, we host a plethora of internal events to share our multi-year experience in software testing.

And this year was no exception! In 2022, we launched a series of online roundtables and held 8 vivid discussions covering a variety of in-demand QA areas. In July, we delved into the topic, “How to get the most out of test automation?” and discussed the ways to ensure quality at speed; in November, we had a valuable session “How to release a quality software product within a limited budget?” and, in December, we presented our last roundtable of the year, “QA dream team: how to turn a dream into a reality?”

Our passion for excellent software quality travels the globe with us. For example, while in Dubai for GITEX Global 2022, we held a roundtable on a topical issue “Test automation: how to utilize with max efficiency?” As a result, the attendees received valuable knowledge on test automation trends for years to come as well as best practices for deploying automated testing today.

Participating in podcasts was another way for our experts to share their knowledge throughout the year. In August, Nadya Knysh, Managing Director at a1qa, North America, took part in the GoodFirms podcast “Secrets to mastering the leadership role” and addressed 4 key points: competencies lacked by emerging leaders, ways to identify leadership skills or weaknesses, tips to motivate the team and establish effective communication, steps to improve female workforce representation in leadership roles.

Another instance of a1qa’s specialists sharing their insights was to introduce what we consider to be the “007” of ensuring software quality: continuous testing, the best methods to implement it, and ways to mitigate associated risks. Alex Tihonovich, Principal a1qa’s QA solution advisor, presented a speech “Continuous testing: secret agent of driving software success” during QA Global Summit’22 by Geekle.

Along with that, we released the “Driving business success” series of 6 interviews and the “Future strategies in engineering quality” podcast with James Vignoles, Director of QA at Sophos, in partnership with The Business Transformation Network (The BTN) ― a leadership platform that allows professionals to exchange knowledge.

And we conducted an impressive interview with Dileep Marway, the former VP of Engineering and Quality at SHL. He shared his extensive expertise with us and our readers, writing the “Agility and speed: Supercharging your business strategies with QA” series of blog posts exclusively for a1qa.

To spread the value of QA and share best practices for releasing truly sound software, we also contributed articles to such industry-leading platforms as Forbes, DZone, GoodFirms, HackerNoon, SD Times, DataDrivenInvestor, Agile Insider, Healthcare Business Today, and more.

Sponsoring

Another a1qa milestone was becoming a sponsor of the Leading Vendor category at the North American Software Testing Awards 2022 this past year. Our sponsorship reflects the desire to always contribute to industry development and gain valuable insights across every sector of QA.

Sharing expertise at the global events

To develop and acquire actionable insights in the field of QA and technology, we attend annual international forums, conventions, and exhibitions, both in person and virtually.

So, what were the a1qa team destinations for 2022?

Of course, Dubai: Arab Health 2022, GITEX Global 2022, AIBC Dubai 2022, GISEC Global 2022. At each of them, a1qa’s mission was to highlight the role of QA for developing different software types, e.g., eHealth, fintech, or blockchain, as well as furthering the ways to ensure strong cybersecurity protocols for all deployed IT products.

Some of the largest technical exhibitions in our list include MWC Barcelona 2022 and Collision 2022, providing us with the opportunity to talk with forward-looking companies about their sophisticated technologies, and help them find solutions to tackle QA issues.

We attended other significant IT conventions across the globe as well: Denver CyberSecurity Conference 2022, Stockholm Tech Week 2022, Viva Technology, Cyber Security & Cloud Expo 2022, Web Summit 2022, Bilişim Zirvesi’22, and more.

And, in what has become an annual tradition for us, a1qa experts moderated junior and senior streams during Geekle. This year, we had Anna Malashenka and Pavel Polyarush as moderators, who hold down the positions of Senior QA consultants, respectively, with the company.

Giving thanks for global acknowledgment

Due to our ongoing diligence and dedication, global experts regularly recognize a1qa’s merits. Winning awards and entering ratings allows clients to be confident in the services we provide. Moreover, we take required measures seriously, such as analyzing risks and searching for the best scenarios to mitigate them, to continue delivering services to our customers at the same high level and quickly responding to any problems that arise.

Here are this past year’s accomplishments:

• For the third year in a row, we entered the 2022 Global Outsourcing 100.
• For the fourth time, we made it to the finals at The European Software Testing Awards 2022. This year, in the Best Agile Project category.
• Thrice, we became a finalist at the North American Software Testing Awards 2022. In 2022, in the Best Overall Testing Project ― Finance category.
• We reached the finals of The Global Sourcing Association (GSA) Professional Awards 2022 in category ― Client Delivery Team of the Year.
• Nadya Knysh, Managing director at a1qa, North America, became a SILVER GLOBEE® WINNER in the Leader of the Year category at the 15th Annual 2022 Women in Business and the Professions World Awards.
• GoodFirms’ judges recognized a1qa as a trusted QA provider and added to 3 ratings: Top Software Testing Companies 2022, 2022 Top QA Testing Companies, and Top Manual Testing Companies 2022.
• SuperbCompanies presented the 2022 List of Top Software Testing Companies and included a1qa in it.
• And one more rating! We’ve been listed as one of the Leading Software Testing Providers by Software Testing News.
• and many more.

Meanwhile, at the company…

We continue to develop our in-house Academy, offering a unique curriculum of over 100+ professional courses for a1qa’s specialists to hone their existing skills and acquire new QA knowledge. Another highlight of the passing 2022 ― the a1qa conference! This year, 400+ people, both online (from 14 different countries!) and offline, joined the event in Batumi to learn and share best QA practices, approaches, methodologies, and more.

CEO of a1qa, Svetlana Pravdina, opened the conference and delivered a very inspirational speech on building teams. Alina Karachun, Account director at a1qa, presented distinct ways to help the clients grow. QA managers with solid experience in QA talked about automated test analysis, CI/CD to get rid of mundane tasks, business analysis techniques to facilitate the work, etc.

We keep on enhancing our proprietary test automation framework, a1qa’s Aquality Automation solution, with additional AI elements, helping simplify test automation adoption, easily scale the solution when required, define the reasons for failed tests, and visualize test results.

And we are continuously advancing CoEs and RnDs that assist in accumulating and transferring valuable knowledge as well as developing tailored approaches, allowing the clients to achieve desired business goals.

Next year, a1qa is celebrating the 20th anniversary! Over the past two decades, we’ve grown from a small group of professionals passionate about enhancing business and operational benefits through QA, into an international IT player contributing to reaching desired outcomes for clients and partners all over the globe. And we’re just getting started!

Dear colleagues, partners, and clients, thank you for your trust and for being with us throughout the whole year!

We wish you and your loved ones the warmest Holiday Season.

Very sincerely,

The a1qa team