Read around a lot. There are plenty of stories out there about how/when things have gone wrong. Then start asking yourself whether you could have the same or

Read around a lot. There are plenty of stories out there about how/when things have gone wrong. Then start asking yourself whether you could have the same or a similar problem. Similar. Don't look for a "plug-and-chug" formula. Understand what went wrong and why. When you look at your own work, those lessons will be floating around in your subconscious and sometimes surface into conscious concerns. Have a deep-seated concern about "getting it right". If you don't have this, you won't "make" yourself do the rest. You need the interest in getting things right, as a precursor. (I've seen a lot of QA that reduces to "pushing buttons in return for a paycheck". This level of involvement won't get you too far -- although it is, or was a few years ago, quite prevalent.)