David Adams
Nov 6 · 1 min read

When people have asked me about what my testing process looks like, I like to tell them there is a difference between “QA” and “testing”.
“QA” is the assurance of quality throughout the entire SDLC (requirements > deployment). While “quality is everyone’s job” it is often given as a task to the QA team to not only prevent problems by being a part of the far-left requirements and design process but also helping ensure the product is released well and as intended.
“Testing” is the process of validating that new issues have not been generated which is generally available once something is built in an iterative process. Yes, user testing up front is a testing process but you test artifacts (mock ups, et al) or ideas (through mind mapping or simple “what if?” conversations.

The greatest benefit comes when QA is part of the furthest left aspect of a SDLC to understand the context and intent of a feature or product while helping the product owner/manager maintain the “why” and value of what is being done.