In the fast-paced world of software development, there's a wide gap between average quality assurance and high-quality quality assurance. Bridging this gap can be a game-changer for your product, team, and overall success. Let's explore the key attributes that differentiate mediocre QA and high quality QA:
Curiosity and Collaboration: Questioning Acceptance Criteria (AC) and User Stories The quality assurance team should question everything, from requirements to design, ensuring all aspects of the product are thoroughly examined and understood. If your QA team is taking AC and user stories at face value, they may not be the right fit for you. High-quality QA requires critical thinking and collaboration, guaranteeing that all parties involved: - Understand the exact priorities - Share a common understanding - Reference a single source of truth - Keep the source of truth up to date - Align the source of truth with the overall product's design and engineering criteria - Verify the accuracy of the source of truth By fostering this collaborative environment, high-quality QA teams save time, money, and boost team morale by identifying issues early on in the development cycle.
Critical Thinking Beyond the AC Testing against the AC typically only verifies that a feature works as designed, and doesn't account for real-world user behavior or potential impacts on other areas of the product. High-quality QA considers these factors, helping create a more robust and user-friendly end product. QA should be asking questions like: - How might users interact with the product in ways the product team hasn't considered? - How do new features affect the rest of the product's functionality? While product and dev teams ideally address these concerns early on, high-quality QA acts as the last line of defense, making sure that new features don't negatively impact the overall product and funky user scenarios are taken into account.
Building Partnerships with Development and Product Teams We all know how contentious the relationship between development and QA can become. A high-quality QA team actively nurtures partnerships with dev teams, enhancing collaboration and aligning everyone towards a common goal. By acting as a bridge between development, product, and QA teams, they keep everyone on the same page.
Advocating for Quality The heart and soul of QA lies in advocating for the best possible product. High-quality QA goes beyond checking off items on a checklist; it means actively championing excellence in every aspect of software development. Your QA team has the crucial responsibility of verifying product quality, giving them unique insights into whether new development is release-ready. They should communicate openly and effectively, providing valuable feedback and recommendations to guide decision-making. Advocating for quality doesn't mean being an arbitrary roadblock. Top-notch QA balances quality concerns with other factors like release schedules. They collaborate with stakeholders to determine if the benefits of releasing outweigh potential drawbacks in quality or functionality.
Don't settle for less – if your QA team isn't hitting these critical points, consider a change. Your product, team, and users deserve QA that goes above and beyond basic functionality checks. High-quality QA is there to collaboratively shape a bug-free, user-friendly product as partners with your product and development teams. It’s important to question: is your QA team pushing these boundaries and driving excellence?
Embracing top-notch QA practices can give your teams and product a competitive advantage. By prioritizing quality, adaptability, and clear communication, your team can create exceptional products.
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