In a collaborative culture, Dev and QA understand that they cannot work without each other. Both QAs and Devs should have the common goal of delivering a high-quality product and they should be aware that they need to work together to accomplish that goal. The way Dev and QA work together can have a significant impact on the test process. Effective collaboration is very important and there are several tips that can be considered to improve collaboration between QA and Dev.

Shift-left approach to testing.

One of the ways to improve collaboration between Dev and QA is to include the QA as early as possible in the development process.

To achieve this, the shift-left approach can be implemented, which helps Dev and QA to stay in close contact and interact with each other while working on the project. The shift-Left approach means that QA is included in every development phase, from the early stage of requirement review to deployment. Statistics show that 64% of defects in software originate from the requirement analysis and design phase of development (Source: Crosstalk, the Journal of Defense Software Engineering.) That’s why early testing is so important and has a significant impact on collaboration between Dev and QA, helping them work more efficiently and deliver a better product.

Requirements Review

• Requirement analysis before coding starts
• Each requirement should be testable
• Each functional requirement should have an associated test

Participants: Dev, QA, Client

Design Testing

• Usability Testing or User Experience (UX) Testing is recommended during the initial design phase of SDLC, which gives more visibility on the expectations of the users
• Find crucial usability problems before the product is launched
• Concentrate on critical and frequently used functionalities of the system

Participants: Dev, QA

Development Testing

• Development testing increases SDLC efficiency, reduces software errors, speeds up the delivery process, gives high-quality code as the code is being tested continuously, and requires less time to deploy for new features
• Testing in this phase includes Unit Testing, Basic Functionality Testing, Code Review & Static Code Analysis, White Box Testing (Statement Coverage, Decision Coverage, Branch Coverage)

Participants: Dev, QA

Test

• Prior to the testing phase, test case for each story in the Sprint should be created
• Sprint testing which involves testing the requirements included in the Sprint
• Tests executed on the build that includes requirements and/or fixes
• Verifying the test results, and closing stories

Participants: QA

Deployment

• Post-deployment testing is the type of testing in which the software is tested after it is deployed to production
• Helps in finding those problems which were not detected before its deployment
• Ensures that the application adapts to the needs of the user

Participants: QA

Adopting the QAOps framework

QAOps is a combination of quality assurance testing with DevOps processes. It is a modern software testing method that focuses on application development, improving IT workflow automation, and fixing issues while improving product quality and performance.

Traditionally, QA testing has been an isolated process carried out at the end of SDLC. This often causes delays due to a lack of communication. With the QAOps strategy, the testing process can be integrated into CI/CD pipeline to ensure better quality and faster delivery. Therefore, QAOps can also be considered as continuous testing. When implementing QAOps strategy, QA works in parallel with the development and operations team to speed up delivery and reduce time to market. QAOps has evolved as the next biggest thing to consider in the software testing discipline, and many companies are already on their way to embracing this modern QA testing technology.

Cross-training

Cross-training is a practice that helps to learn to work on other roles or tasks through organized training sessions.

Teaching Devs the basic testing process with test suites, strategies, testing principles and tools, and QAs some coding and development basics can be a great way to promote effective collaboration by enabling them to learn what the other team is working on and the challenges they face.

Coordinate on what needs to be tested

QAs should know which parts of the software were already covered either manually or using automation, so they don’t repeat the tests unnecessarily. This doesn’t mean that the QA won’t inspect an already tested function or feature again, but it should do so if deemed important. Knowing which tests have already been run by Dev allows QAs to find areas with less testing coverage and prioritize which tests to run. On the other hand, Dev should explain how to test the feature, if there is a need for specific testing, and how to verify that it’s working.

Also, test documentation such as plans, procedures, test reports, and results of various testing efforts makes the entire testing process more visible and transparent, making the alignment of testing efforts easier—saving time and preventing wasted resources.

Communicate effectively

To achieve successful collaboration among teams, communication is the key. The relationship between a QA and Dev is based on their working pattern. However, if there is a lack of clear communication between them it can cause various problems during the process.

The software development lifecycle is dependent on both. QA and Dev. Moreover, a development strategy can only work with coordination, which in turn requires a smooth flow of communication. There are different collaboration tools on the market such as Teams, Zoom, Jira, Slack…, which can help Dev and QA to accomplish productive and effective communication.

Conclusion

In the modern software development work environment, the traditional separation between Dev and QA is no longer effective. It is essential for Dev and QA teams to collaborate throughout all stages of the Software Development Life Cycle. By providing Dev with test cases and acceptance criteria, they can incorporate these into their unit tests, thereby addressing a majority of the cases early on and minimizing defects. The role of Dev should not be limited to merely developing a product, but rather developing a product that attains the highest possible quality. Similarly, for QA, their responsibility extends beyond testing the product to effectively prioritizing QA tasks, allowing Dev to address issues promptly and deliver a quality product. Consequently, it becomes crucial for both QA and Dev to strive towards a common objective of achieving unparalleled product quality, transcending the boundaries of their individual tasks. Furthermore, this seamless collaboration will facilitate the delivery of a high-quality product, enhancing the overall customer experience.

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