How can QA Team add value in Agile Development? (2024)

What is Agile?

Agile is a Project management approach in which Agile Team:

• Breaks down the Software in smaller bits (functionalities)
• Decide the priority in which those bits/functionalities need to be implemented
• Discuss the Acceptance Criteria with Product Team
• Estimate the efforts required
• Plan to deliver the estimated functionalities within 2-4 weeks’ cycles (Sprints).
• Repeat…

QA Teams adding value to Agile Development:

In Agile methodology, QA team is involved from very starting and is the part of all the SDLC Phases. QA Team is:

• Involved in the Grooming sessions where:
• QA review the Acceptance Criteria (AC) of User Stories
• Give Review comments on the AC
• Discuss the additional points/scenarios (If Any) that need to be taken care during implementation, in order to reduce the issues encountered at the delivery
• Discuss and remove the unwanted points (If Any) and help in reduce the Development Efforts
• Analyze the risks and impacts of new functionality on the existing features
• Check the testability of the User Story/Functionality being implemented
• Involved in Sprint Planning where QA Team:
• Analyze the User Stories being deployed in the Sprint
• Estimate the efforts required for testing the user stories
• Analyze the dependent User Stories and the sequence in which the stories need to be tested
• Analyze the Integration testing test scenarios
• Analyze the impact of new User Stories on the existing Automation Suite
• Create a Test Plan as per the Resources and QA Capacity
• Involved from the start of the Sprint where:
• Test the User Stories and Log defects
• Perform the regression Test on existing features
• Update the existing Automation Suite as per the newly implemented User Stories (If Required)
• Retest the defects and User Stories
• Perform the regression test for all the user stories before the Production Deployment, prior to Sprint End
• QA Pass the User Stories that can be deployed
• QA Fail the User Stories that fail the Item Pass/Fail Criteria
• Involved in other Sprint Ceremonies where:
• Give and Get updates on Sprint Deliverables
• Raise the risks of delivering Deliverables to Product Team as soon as possible
• Discuss the items that add risks to the Quality of Product and take decision for not deploying those User Stories
• Take Action for the items that add risks to the Quality of Product and take decision for not deploying those User Stories

Conclusion:

Quality Assurance team brings an essential perspective to the development process and can help prevent bugs. In agile development teams, developers and QA engineers work together, which adds value during development and which helps in reducing the release cycle.