My first leadership role involved a new group of co-ops. Part of the first co-ops hired by Cabletron, our purpose was to pre-test all software coming out of the build system before it went to QA. We had a strict set of rules and procedures, and a very specific test program we used. There was one time when a high-level manager complained that a tape shouldn't have gone to QA, but we stuck to our rules (posted on the wall over every computer) and prevailed. The Acceptance Test group is now an integral part of Cabletron's product qualification process.