Quality Engineering as an Enabling Team

In my decade of experience across various companies and domains, I’ve seen one constant: the goal of delivering high-quality software quickly and efficiently. However, not all organizations achieve this. The key difference often lies in how they structure their quality engineering (QE) teams.

In some companies, QA/QE teams operate in silos. They work hard to test products and ensure quality, employing various automation techniques to keep up with product deliverables. Despite their efforts in finding and fixing bugs, something crucial was often missing. The QA teams, instead of enabling software engineers, became blockers to software releases.

To turn this around, the role of QA/QE teams evolved from being a blocking force to an enabling team. But what does it mean to be an enabler rather than a blocker?

Enabler vs. Blocker

1. Enabler:

   • Proactive Approach: An enabler focuses on preventing issues before they arise. They use techniques like early testing, continuous integration, and automated testing to catch problems in the development phase.

   • Collaboration: They work closely with developers, helping them understand user requirements and best practices for code quality. This teamwork fosters open communication and shared goals.

   • Empowerment: Instead of waiting until the end of the development cycle to test, enablers empower developers to take responsibility for the quality of their code. This leads to a culture where everyone is accountable for delivering a quality product.

   • Facilitating Improvements: They help identify areas for improvement in the development process, suggesting tools and practices that can enhance efficiency and quality.

2. Blocker:

   • Reactive Approach: A blocker tends to wait until development is complete to test the software, often leading to delays when issues are found late in the process.

   • Isolation: They might operate independently from developers, leading to a disconnect where QA is seen as a separate phase that slows down progress.

   • Gatekeeping: Instead of being a partner, blockers can create bottlenecks by enforcing strict testing procedures that prevent releases until all tests pass, which can frustrate developers.

   • Focus on Defects: Their primary role may seem to be finding and reporting bugs, rather than fostering a culture of quality throughout the development lifecycle.

This shift in mindset allows teams to work more effectively, ensuring that quality is built into the software from the start rather than being checked at the end. Ultimately, this approach not only enhances the quality of the product but also accelerates the release process, benefiting both the development team and the end users.

By embracing the role of an enabling team, quality engineering can significantly contribute to the success of software delivery, ensuring that high-quality products reach customers faster and more reliably.

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