In a software organization, how do the roles of a Quality Assurance (QA) Manager and a Project Manager differ from each other?

Introduction / Context:
In many organizations, both QA Managers and Project Managers contribute to successful software delivery, but they do so in different ways. Understanding the distinction between these roles prevents confusion and overlaps, and ensures that quality processes and project execution both receive appropriate attention.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The QA Manager has a mandate to oversee quality practices, possibly across multiple projects.
The Project Manager is responsible for planning and executing a specific project or set of projects.
Both roles interact, but their core objectives are different.

Concept / Approach:
The QA Manager is process oriented and quality focused. Typical responsibilities include defining quality policies, maintaining the QA framework, conducting process and product audits, analyzing quality metrics and driving improvement initiatives. The Project Manager is delivery oriented and outcome focused. Responsibilities include defining scope, planning schedule and budget, managing risks and issues, coordinating the work of developers, testers and other roles, and communicating with stakeholders.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify which option describes QA as defining and enforcing processes rather than managing daily task execution. Check that the same option describes the Project Manager as accountable for project delivery, including scope, schedule and cost. Option a clearly captures these distinctions. Options b, c and d either misassign responsibilities or deny the difference between the roles. Therefore, option a is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Job descriptions in many organizations and industry references support this division: QA Managers manage quality systems and process assurance, while Project Managers manage project execution and delivery. They collaborate closely, for example when setting quality goals for a project, but their primary accountability remains distinct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option b confuses QA with hardware procurement and suggests that Project Managers write all test cases, which is not typical.
Option c ignores the organizational need to separate process governance from delivery accountability.
Option d assigns managers to specific roles (programmers or testers) rather than clarifying their strategic focus.

Common Pitfalls:
A pitfall is expecting the Project Manager alone to handle all quality concerns, which can lead to short term schedule decisions overriding long term quality considerations. Another issue is giving QA Managers too little authority, making their process recommendations easy to ignore. Balanced organizations give each role clear responsibilities and foster collaboration between them.

Final Answer:
A QA Manager mainly defines and enforces quality processes, standards and audits, while a Project Manager mainly leads the delivery of a specific project within scope, time and budget by coordinating people and resources.