[bumby]

I agree with the 'cost center' sentiment, but I'll try to add some nuance from my experience.

1) Some organizations have come to really value what QA/QC brings to the table. From my experience, this seems to be more visible in manufacturing than software. I speculate this is because software is more abstract by its very nature and waste is harder to track.

2) The really good QAs are those who really believe in its mission, rather than those who are looking for the path of least resistance.

Both of those underscore the value lies in organizations and individuals who really buy-in to the QA ethos. There are lots of examples of both who are simply going through the motions.