Whence QA?

Since the dawn of software, more or less, companies wrote their software in a process that went something like this: Product defines the specifications. Architecture designs it. Engineering/R&D builds it. Quality Assurance (QA) tests it. If it passes, it is scheduled for release; if not, goto #3. The jobs of QA teams historically have been procedure-oriented. Whereas engineers tend to be more creative and inventive, QA teams provide the process and constraints (remember the term "