QA Analyst contribution to projects

Here is how QA Analyst can help the project manager on the project:

• You will be more sure about the quality of the software - QA Analyst will test user stories and then regression tests for you

• You will have at least a basic set of documentation so you will know what was tested and what is the status of the project from QA point of view

• QA Analyst should follow the standard process, so you should get similar outputs from all QA Analysts from QA Team

• Since QA Analyst will test the solution, you will have a lower probability that the customer will find major issues during UAT phase

• QA Analyst will communicate with the customer about UAT and is ready to help him with preparation and organization - as a result, you should always know where are during UAT and if there are any risks you should be focused on

• QA Analyst will help to clarify user stories and acceptance criteria and it can lower risk we deliver something different our customer expected

• QA Analyst will check risks from QA perspective for you

• QA Analyst will help with the training of the customer about software testing and will be his SPOC for testing during the whole project

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• Attend Stand-Up Meetings: Actively participate in daily stand-up meetings to stay informed and aligned with project developments.

• Meetings with the Customer: Engage in discussions with the customer, particularly concerning testing aspects in UAT and the overall process.

• Collaboration with Solution Architects (SA) and Integration Engineers (IE): Work closely with SA and IE to understand the solution and integration intricacies.

• Integration and Data Testing: Execute test cases, report issues, and engage in discussions with IE to ensure a thorough understanding of the integration and data testing.

• Test Planning: Create test plans, draft test strategies, and prepare test structures using tools like X-Ray if employed on the project.

Feature Sprints

During feature sprints, QA Analysts continue to be actively involved:

• User Story Clarification: Attend meetings with SA, Customer Experience (CE), and the customer to clarify user stories and acceptance criteria.

• Test Case Creation: Develop test cases for all user stories and acceptance criteria, continuously reviewing and updating them based on feedback from SA, CE, and the customer.

• Bug Investigation and Reporting: Investigate bugs raised by the customer, report them as sub-tasks, and engage in discussions with CE.

• Solution Demo: Prepare and deliver solution demos for the customer to ensure alignment with expectations.

• Regression Testing: Retest all prepared test cases for user stories and report results at the end of the feature sprint.

UAT Phase

In the UAT phase, QA Analysts continue to play a pivotal role:

• SPOC for the Customer: Act as a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the customer regarding testing-related issues.

• Stand-Up Meetings: Attend regular stand-up meetings to stay updated on project progress.

• Customer Support: Provide support to the customer during UAT, including investigating reported bugs and clarifying whether they are indeed bugs.

• Retesting: Perform retesting of bugs and regression testing after bug fixes.

Cutover and Stabilization

During the cutover and stabilization phases, QA Analysts continue their active involvement:

• SPOC for the Customer: Continue to be the SPOC for the customer regarding testing-related issues.

• Smoke Testing: Conduct smoke tests on the production partition to ensure stability.

• Bug Investigation and Retesting: Investigate bugs reported by the customer, explain discrepancies, and perform retesting and regression testing after bug fixes.

Expected Allocation on the Project

To maintain an effective balance, a basic allocation ratio of 2 Customer Experience (CE) members to 1 QA Analyst is recommended. This allocation should carry through from the Foundation Sprint to Stabilization.

Results of Missing Allocation

Insufficient allocation for QA Analysts can lead to several challenges:

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