With Y2K approaching, demand was high for technology and software testing. K.J.Ross and Associates was established in a garage on the Gold Coast by Kelvin J. Ross.
A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away...
1997
K.J.Ross & Associates was established
1998
Employee #1
Steven Butler became Kelvin’s first hire and he’s still on board as a loyal employee and Principal Consultant up in the Brisbane office.
1999
Certified Software Test Professionals (CSTP) training program launched
2000
The world didn't end!
Y2K didn’t cause the world to implode – perhaps because KJR saved so many computer systems from crashing…!
2002
SMARTCat was released by K.J.Ross & Associates
SMARTCat was ‘on the prowl’ – proactive production monitoring tests for web applications at a time when most other offerings would do little more than ping the server.
2002
Welcome to the Test Manager Forum
We founded the Test Manager Forum – an annual event to celebrate and educate the software testing industry. TMF ran until 2015 under the new name Software Quality Forum.
2005
Found a home in Sydney
After servicing Sydney clients since inception, we officially marked KJR territory on Sydney soil.
2005
Our first Agile project
2006
Melbourne office opened
2007
A base in Canberra
We set up permanent roots in Canberra to service our growing federal government clients.
2008
Beginning of OneSchool
This year marked the first release of a multi-year project wit the Department of Education and Training Queensland.
2008
Iqnite Systems & Software Quality Conference was launched in Australia by KJR
2010
At the top of Qld ICT
KJR founder, Kelvin Ross won the Achiever award for taking risks and making a difference within the Queensland ICT community.
2010
The first Ross Report was released
Our industry benchmark report was released annually until 2014.
2011
NATA accreditation
KJR became one of only two Test Labs in Australia to be able to certify medical software for conformance to NEHTA specifications.
2011
Microsoft Gold Partner status: unlocked
2013
The KJR Yellow Jersey premieres
KJR commenced it support for TourXOz and Black Dog Institute. The Yellow Jersey has appeared in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
2013
NDIS was a success!
The NDIS scheme was launched on a high-quality platform, on-time – thanks to KJR.
2015
A new lease on life
K.J.Ross & Associates re-branded to KJR.
2016
Became a 'Cool Company'
Named in Australia’s Top 100 Coolest Companies to work for (and again in 2017 and 2018). Although we didn’t need an award to tell us that!
2017
Sponsored Sydney Kings NBL team
KJR took up a spot right next to the hoop at Qudos Bank Arena as a Sydney Kings sponsor.
2017
Tour X Oz
In 2017, KJR’s Andrew Hammond rode the 8-day, 2,500km journey from Perth to Broome for mens mental health awareness. Andrew also completed the Tour in 2015, and with the company of KJR’s founder, Kelvin Ross in 2013.
2017
A QUT partnership delivers the Digital Maturity Model
2018
KJR turned 21
Celebrated KJR’s 21st birthday! An immense achievement for a smaller technology-based firm.
2018
Taking on Adelaide
2018
Joined the University of Canberra Capitals family
And watched them take out the WNBL Championship (in 2019).
2018
The start of the Smart Steering Wheel
After taking top spot at The Australian Trucking Association fatigueHACK, a group including members of the KJR Collective set about the development and prototyping of FatigueM8.
2019
Young Women Leaders in AI inaugural intake
As a founding Platinum sponsor, KJR is making a focused effort to address the inherent bias that exists in the development of artificial intelligence and machine-learning algorithms.
2019
Qualified Security Assessors for PCI DSS Assessments
2020
Queensland AI Hub was launched
KJR is a founding shareholder of the ‘Hub’ – a Queensland Government funded initiative created to connect the Queensland artificial intelligence ecosystem and build it’s reputation the field.
2020
Datarwe gets cracking on real world data for AI enabled medical innovation
More partnership pride from KJR, and our founder serving as CTO for this progressive and important organisation based on the Gold Coast.
2020
KJR Graduate Program Launches
Our first KJR Graduate joined the Collective in June 2020 and was followed by a list of exceptional talent. Meet our Graduates here
2021
KJR Partners with Rowing Australia
KJR partnered with Rowing Australia and cheered on the Australian Rowing Team as several events won Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
2021
KJR becomes a foundation partner of the very first Northern Australia Indigenous Datathon in Cairns
KJR brings together a diverse group of data professionals, indigenous communities, and students to explore digital and data-driven solutions to solve real-world indigenous community challenges in Northern Australia.
2022
KJR turns 25!
We celebrate 25 years in the industry as Australia’s trusted advisors in software quality assurance. Having started from humble beginnings on the Gold Coast to expanding nationally we enjoy the success with our Collective members past and present.
2023
We celebrate 25 years with employees 1, 2 & 3!
Dr Steven Butler, Dr John D’Alton and Dr Mark Pedersen celebrated 25 years with KJR. From their early days as test consultants to their current roles as leaders and mentors, this trio have shown unwavering dedication and expertise in delivering top-notch software quality assurance. Their achievements speak volumes about their passion and commitment. Read all about it.
