Quality Assurance is more than just a final step. It's a mindset woven throughout the development process. Even in the absence of a dedicated QA team, integrating QA practices helps catch issues early, build user trust, and reduce long-term maintenance costs. Consistent, thoughtful QA ensures we deliver reliable, user-friendly software that meets both technical and practical expectations.
This post outlines the recommended QA procedures to follow before releasing a new feature. Since we’re talking about a team that does not have dedicated QA people, these steps are designed to ensure feature stability, functionality, and usability through collective responsibility.
1. Automated Testing
Ensure that appropriate automated tests are written and maintained. Follow the principles of the Test Automation Pyramid for balanced test coverage.
Automated Testing Checklist:
- ✅ Unit Tests cover core logic and edge cases.
- ✅ Integration Tests validate interactions between key components.
- ✅ End-to-End Tests (E2E) ensure critical user flows function as intended.
- ✅ Verify existing automated tests have been updated to reflect feature changes.
2. Click Testing / Manual Testing
Key individuals should conduct hands-on testing to ensure the feature behaves as expected in real-world scenarios.
Click Testing Participants:
Key Engineers (DRI and those involved in feature development): Conduct deep dives and sanity checks for edge cases and unexpected behavior.
Engineering Manager (or relevant team lead): Ensures technical correctness and stability.
Product Manager: Validates feature alignment with user requirements and product goals.
Designer (if applicable): Confirms UI/UX aligns with the intended design and provides a positive user experience.
Click Testing Checklist:
- ✅ Test across supported browsers and devices.
- ✅ Verify correct error handling and fallback behavior.
- ✅ Test edge cases, unexpected user inputs, and boundary conditions.
- ✅ Ensure all feature toggles, environment settings, or permissions are correctly configured.
- ✅ Confirm the feature meets accessibility standards (e.g., keyboard navigation, screen reader support, color contrast).
3. Data and Configuration Validation
- ✅ Ensure any required database migrations are complete and verified.
- ✅ Confirm feature flags are set to appropriate defaults.
- ✅ Verify environment variables are correctly configured for staging/production.
4. Security Considerations
- ✅ Ensure user data is sanitized and validated to prevent injection attacks.
- ✅ Check for secure handling of sensitive data.
- ✅ Confirm authentication/authorization logic is correctly implemented.
- ✅ Check for potential security risks (e.g., CORS issues, improper data exposure).
5. Performance and Load Testing
- ✅ Performance considerations were likely addressed during the writing of the tech spec; testers should refer to it to determine what, if any, additional testing or validation is needed.
- ✅ Identify potential bottlenecks in database queries, API endpoints, or heavy UI interactions based on the tech spec guidance.
6. Documentation and Communication
- ✅ Update user-facing documentation, release notes, and internal knowledge bases.
- ✅ Ensure the support team is informed of new features and any potential risks.
7. Release Readiness
- ✅ Ensure feature toggles are correctly set to enable staged rollouts if necessary.
- ✅ Confirm rollback plans in case issues arise post-release.
- ✅ Coordinate with stakeholders to schedule the release at an appropriate time, which may involve determining when to deploy the feature or when to enable a feature flag depending on the release strategy.
8. Post-Release Monitoring
- ✅ Establish monitoring for key metrics (e.g., error rates, load times, conversion impact).
- ✅ Confirm alerts are set up to detect critical failures.
- ✅ Monitor user feedback and bug reports closely after deployment.
Final Checklist for Release Sign-Off
Before considering the feature as "Ready for Release," ensure:
- ✅ Automated tests are sufficient and passing.
- ✅ Click testing has been completed by appropriate stakeholders.
- ✅ Documentation is updated.
- ✅ Rollback plans are in place.
- ✅ Post-release monitoring is configured and ready.
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