Navigating QA in an Untested Project: A Practical Guide
Stepping into a project without established (Quality Assurance) QA processes can feel like navigating uncharted waters. With limited documentation and loosely defined tasks, the challenge is clear: establish order amidst the chaos. Here’s a seven step plan explaining how to initiate meaningful testing on an existing project and build a reliable QA process from scratch.
1. Understanding the Landscape
The first step is discovery. Immerse yourself in the project by gathering knowledge from available sources. Conversations with developers, product owners, and other teammates are invaluable. Explore the application yourself through exploratory testing, observing user flows, and identifying critical features. This phase isn’t just about understanding the product—it’s about pinpointing where potential risks might hide and uncovering the workflows that demand the most attention.
2. Laying the Groundwork for QA
With a grasp on the project’s core, turn to the existing project management tools like Jira or Asana. These often reveal fragmented workflows or overlooked testing opportunities. Establish a basic yet effective workflow, such as moving tasks through stages like “TO DO,” “IN PROGRESS,” “READY TO TEST,” and “DONE.” This framework creates clarity around where QA fits into the development lifecycle, ensuring that testing is not an afterthought but a continuous process.
3. Building the Test Plan
A comprehensive test plan is your roadmap. Tailor it to the project’s unique needs. For instance, focus on compatibility across browsers like Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox, and devices running macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Incorporate multiple testing levels:
Unit Testing: Developers cover 70–80% of the code, catching errors early and forming the bedrock for further testing.
Integration Testing: Backend developers ensure seamless data flow between modules, catching systemic issues beyond the scope of unit tests.
Manual Testing: QA manually evaluates each new task, logging issues and results, which provides critical insights into functionality and user experience.
4. Leveraging Automation
Automation amplifies efficiency, especially for repetitive tasks that demand consistent accuracy. Tools like Playwright with TypeScript are ideal for crafting robust automated tests, offering both flexibility and reliability. By incorporating ‘data-test’ attributes into key elements (e.g., `data-test=”main- menu__item_1″`) developers enable QA to write precise selectors for automated scripts. These tests run before each deployment, ensuring that critical functionalities remain intact. Automation not only accelerates testing but also provides an essential safety net, reducing the likelihood of critical issues slipping into production.
5. Ensuring Feature Stability
Feature testing is multi-layered: local unit and integration tests followed by functional tests in a staging environment. This staged approach minimizes surprises and catches issues early. Regression testing — either manual or automated — verifies that new features haven’t disrupted existing functionality.
6. Validating with Users
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) invites clients to validate the work in a staging environment, ensuring the product meets their expectations before it goes live. This is followed by smoke testing in production to verify that essential features are functioning correctly after deployment.
7. Building a QA Culture
QA’s value lies in its ability to protect the product’s integrity. Communicate the importance of these processes to the team, highlighting how QA helps prevent costly bugs, enhances user satisfaction, and builds a stronger, more resilient product.
Conclusion
Starting QA on an untested project might feel daunting, but with a clear strategy, it becomes manageable. By blending manual diligence, automation, and collaboration, you can transform a chaotic project into a well-oiled machine, paving the way for future quality improvements and success.
Ready to elevate your QA process? Start by exploring tools like Playwright, refining your workflows, and engaging your team in the pursuit of quality. Remember, every great product starts with a commitment to excellence—take the first step today! If you have any questions speak to our QA experts at gravity9 who will be happy to help.