Building an effective team of quality assurance (QA) engineers is crucial for any organization's testing strategy and execution. With the increasing demand for QA professionals and the blurring of lines between developers and QA engineers, having a well-planned and executed approach to team building is essential. This includes fostering a culture of respect and ownership among team members, providing opportunities for growth and development, and integrating QA teams closely with the rest of the software engineering staff. Modern QA involves being involved in dev designs, participating in code reviews, and doing upfront testing, and organizations should encourage automation while allowing QA professionals to choose their own toolsets. Manual testing is still necessary, but its role has evolved with the rise of automation. The key to retaining engineers with strong technical and testing backgrounds is to unlock their potential and show them how their skills can be applied in testing, rather than viewing it as a lack of respect.