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

Detailed QA activities on the project and expected allocation

QA Activities and Allocation on the 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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