This article discusses the role of a QA Analyst in project management and how they contribute to the success of a project. It outlines the various activities and responsibilities of a QA Analyst throughout the project lifecycle, including their involvement in feature sprints, the UAT phase, and cutover and stabilization. The article also highlights the importance of proper allocation of QA Analysts and the potential challenges that can arise if there is insufficient allocation.
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QA Project Contributions
The QA Analyst contributes to the project by ensuring the quality of the software through testing, providing documentation, following standard processes, reducing the probability of major issues during UAT, communicating with the customer, clarifying user stories and acceptance criteria, checking risks, and helping with customer training on software testing. This involvement helps maintain clear communication and expectations throughout the project.
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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QA activities on the Project
QA activities on a project involve testing user stories, creating regression tests, providing documentation, following standard processes, communicating with customers during UAT, clarifying user stories and acceptance criteria, checking risks, and helping with customer training on software testing. The expected allocation is a ratio of 2 Customer Experience (CE) members to 1 QA Analyst. Insufficient allocation can lead to challenges such as reduced support during UAT and inadequate communication with the customer.
QA Activities and Allocation
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Quality Assurance (QA) plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of any project. From the beginning of a project, the integration of QA into the project team is considered standard practice. This seamless collaboration between QA and other team members is essential for delivering high-quality results. The QA team adheres to a basic process, providing clarity and assurance throughout the project lifecycle. The key deliverables include a comprehensive test plan, test report, bug reports, and well-defined test cases.
Clarified Expectations and Added
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Value
The key to communication and managing expectations for a QA on a project involves clear and consistent communication with the project team and the customer. This includes providing regular updates on testing progress, clarifying user stories and acceptance criteria, and being the single point of contact for testing-related issues. Additionally, it's important to follow standard processes to ensure consistent outputs from the QA team and to help with customer training on software testing to align expectations.
Clear communication and expectations are paramount in QA activities. When the project team is aligned with QA roles and processes, it becomes easier to explain intricacies to the customer. This clarity is essential, especially when dealing with customers regarding bugs and test cases for User Acceptance Testing (UAT).How QA Analyst Can Help PM on the Project:
Assistance for Foundation and Setup Sprint
In the foundational stages, QA Analysts contribute significantly to project success. Their involvement spans various activities:
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.
Assistance for 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.
Assistance for 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.
Assistance for 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, the expected allocation for a QA on a project is a basic allocation ratio of 2 Customer Experience (CE) members to 1 QA Analyst is recommended. This allocation should carry through be maintained throughout the project from the Foundation Sprint to Stabilization. Insufficient allocation can lead to challenges such as reduced support during User Acceptance Testing (UAT), inadequate communication with the customer, and lower-than-expected QA support during feature sprints and UAT.
Benefits of Proper Allocation
The benefits of proper allocation for a QA on a project include ensuring high-quality deliverables, effective communication with all parties involved, reduced probability of major issues during UAT, clear documentation of testing status, and consistent outputs from the QA team. Proper allocation also helps in clarifying user stories and acceptance criteria, checking risks from a QA perspective, and serving as the single point of contact for testing-related issues throughout the project.
Results of Missing Allocation
Insufficient allocation for QA Analysts can lead to challenges such as absence from project stand-ups, increased time needed during Feature Sprints to understand requirements, limited support for the customer during UAT, reduced time for preparing test cases, inadequate communication with the customer, and lower-than-expected QA support during Feature Sprints and UAT.
Insufficient allocation for QA Analysts can lead to several challenges:
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