I have worked with a good number of teams. Some of these teams, truly lived by Agile values, others barely recognized them. One of the common mistakes I see about teams is how the embedded QA function as team members.
Too often the attitude is that embedded QA is there just to write test cases and verify stories that the team develops. This is of course an important, in fact vital, function that these often unsung heroes do for their teams. I have seen time and again team members, including the QA, and managers treat the team like there is a divider between developers and QA. This division interferes with teams truly coming together and being completely cross-functional. More importantly, I think, it devalues the benefits that can be gained from having QA team members embedded.
To me, the true value of embedded QA is to drive quality throughout the full team. Engineers, in general, are extremely good at solving problems, however we don’t always see all the problems that need to be solved. We occasionally need to have someone point out edge cases, things that can be automated to make everyone’s life easier, that pushes for continuous integration systems. Having someone on the team that calls out how much better it is to have an automated release process instead of manual steps that can be missed. This is where I see value beyond measure. When I have seen teams take this approach, I have seen team take off like jet planes.
So, when you get a chance, step back and look at your teams. Are they divided groups doing small waterfall cycles with developers throwing work over the wall to embedded QA? Or are they true Agile teams with everyone focused on how to help each other and constantly improve their processes to deliver value faster?
Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear what you think.
Keep learning and keep moving forward!
