Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.

“Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.” is a core task performed by Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. Among the occupation's 30 rated tasks, workers place it 12th by importance (#19 most important). About 97% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Test performance of computer or information systems. in Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Advise others on the design or use of technologies. in Providing Consultation and Advice to Others

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E1. Direct exposure — a language model could plausibly cut the time to do this task by at least half.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 1.00. Automation potential label: T3.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content. · importance 4.7
• Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers. · importance 4.7
• Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability. · importance 4.5
• Design test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures. · importance 4.3
• Document test procedures to ensure replicability and compliance with standards. · importance 4.3
• Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality. · importance 4.3
• Install, maintain, or use software testing programs. · importance 4.3
• Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. · importance 4.2
• Create or maintain databases of known test defects. · importance 4.2
• Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes. · importance 4.1
• Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine product quality or release readiness. · importance 4.1
• Update automated test scripts to ensure currency. · importance 4.1
• Participate in product design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, product designs, schedules, or potential problems. · importance 4.0
• Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates. · importance 4.0

See all tasks on the Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-14658,
  title  = {Identify program deviance from standards, and suggest modifications to ensure compliance.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-14658}
}