QA Teams Are Broken—Here’s How to Fix Them in Just 3 Steps

Agile QA Process & Best Practices

In the field of software development, quality assurance (QA) is essential, and QA testers are regarded as unsung heroes for producing flawless software. However, a number of businesses continue to face challenges with antiquated testing procedures, ineffective processes, and a lack of cooperation between developers and testers. These challenges introduce unnecessary flaws, lead to delayed releases, and frustrate customers. The good news? QA teams do not need to remain broken. With the correct approach, these challenges can be fixed effectively and rapidly. In this article, we will discover three crucial steps to optimize your QA process— ensuring your team’s effectiveness, whether they are testing mobile apps, web apps, or even browsers such as Safari for Windows.   

Why do QA teams struggle with inefficiencies?

QA teams mainly struggle with inefficiencies or incompetence owing to multiple key factors, counting:

1. Late-Stage Contribution in Development

Various enterprises treat QA (Quality Assurance) as the final checkpoint rather than incorporating it throughout the SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle). This results in:

  • Delay finding of bugs, making them expensive to fix.
  • Increased development cycle times because of back-and-forth error fixes.

2. Over-reliance on Manual Tests

While manual testing is crucial for usability and exploratory tests, extreme dependence on the causes:

  • Slower test cycles.
  • Manual errors and inconsistencies in test implementation.
  • Trouble in scaling test efforts as the product grows.

3. Lack of Outdated & Automation Tools

Without automation, QA (quality assurance) teams struggle to keep up with regular code alterations. Inefficiencies arise when:

  • QA Teams use incompatible or outdated tools, resulting in bottlenecks.
  • Repetitive test cases are manually implemented rather than being automated.
  • Test environs are inconsistent, resulting in false positives and unreliable test outcomes.

4. Poor Collaboration and Communication  

QA teams sometimes work in silos, disconnected from product managers and software developers. This results in:

  • Delayed feedback loops, slowing down problem resolution.
  • Misunderstandings in needs.
  • A lack of mutual responsibility for quality across teams.

5. Insufficient Test Coverage & Prioritization Problems

Without proper test strategies, QA teams might:

  • Spend extra time on low-priority test cases while missing crucial defects.
  • Lack of structured test coverage, resulting in untested circumstances.
  • Struggle to balance regression tests with fresh feature testing.

6. Lack of Training and Growing Skill Sets

Software testing and development techniques are continuously growing. Teams that do not keep up with trends such as AI-powered tests, Shift Left, and CI/CD incorporation might experience:

  • Incompetence due to outdated test methods.
  • Difficulty in accepting new frameworks & tools.
  • There is a high risk of missing modern performance and security concerns.

7. Inadequate Infrastructure and Resources 

A lack of suitable infrastructure like test environs and cloud-centric test platforms, can hinder productivity. Challenges comprise: 

  • Restricted access to devices for cross-browser tests (for instance, confirming compatibility with Safari for Windows, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome).
  • Unreliable test environs, resulting in flaky tests.
  • Inadequate budget for automated tools & cloud-powered test solutions.

How to Fix These Inefficiencies?

If your Quality Assurance (QA) team is facing bottlenecks, do not worry—there is a way to address them. By making strategic modifications in three crucial parts—incorporating QA early in the cycle, leveraging automation, and fostering a philosophy of quality—you can turn your QA procedure into a powerhouse of innovation and effectiveness.

1. Shift Left: Bring QA Into the Development Cycle Early

Earlier, the QA test occurs at the end of the development cycle, resulting in slower-stage bug discovery, costly fixes, and project delays. The “Shift Left” techniques resolve this by embedding QA throughout the SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle), enabling QA teams to find and fix flaws early.

How to Execute Shift Left:

  • Include QA in the planning stage – QA Engineers must participate in requirements collections to detect potential usability problems and edge cases early.
  • Encourage developer-tester collaboration – Pairing QA with developers from the beginning ensures instant feedback, reducing back-and-forth fixes later.
  • Accept continuous tests – Automate test performance so that each code commit is validated, preventing small errors from starting major issues.
  • Use the right tools – Static analysis tools, automation test frameworks, and code coverage tools can help detect flaws before they reach production.

By shifting QA (quality assurance) left, you generate a proactive rather than reactive approach to testing, decreasing expenses and enhancing software quality.

2. Embrace Automation: Allow QA Testers to Focus on What Matters

Depending excessively on manual tests slows down release cycles and introduces manual errors. While manual tests remain critical for usability and exploratory tests, automation is the key to effectiveness and scalability. 

How to Implement Automation Efficiently:

  • Determine the right test cases for automation – Focus on automating time-consuming, tedious, and repetitive tasks like performance testing, regression testing, and cross-browser testing (for instance., ensuring compatibility with Safari for Windows, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome).
  • Pick the correct automation tools – Utilize tools such as Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, or ACCELQ that incorporate smoothly with your development pipeline.
  • Equip QA team with crucial skills– Train QA testers with the expertise required to build, implement, and maintain automated test scripts.
  • Be selective with automation – Not everything ought to be automated. Prioritize test cases that are performed often and are crucial to the app’s stability.

Automation reduces test time, boosts coverage, and enables QA Engineers to focus on high-value deeds such as exploratory tests & security assessments.

3. Empower Your QA Team: Build a Value of Quality

QA (Quality Assurance) is often seen as a final checkpoint instead of an integral part of the development procedure. This outdated mindset restricts effectiveness and innovation. Instead, QA must be a strategic partner in guaranteeing software quality.

How to Empower Your QA Team:

  • Expense in professional development – Offer training on new test methods, automated tools, and industry best practices.
  • Encourage open communication – Foster communication and collaboration between software testers, software developers, and product managers to generate a mutual responsibility for quality.
  • Recognize QA’s worth – QA must have a voice in crucial decisions concerning product design & release readiness.
  • Track meaningful metrics – Utilize data-driven insights to compute test coverage, defect rates, & release cycle effectiveness to constantly improve procedures.

A motivated and well-supported QA team contributes straight to speedy releases, high-quality software, and customer satisfaction.

What are the best tools for Automation Testing?

The perfect automated test tools depend on your tech stack, test requirements, and project intricacy. Let us find out some of the top automation tools categorized by their prime use:

1. Cross-Browser and Web Tests

Such tools help test web apps across diverse web browsers, counting Safari for Windows, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome.

  • Cypress – Fast, reliable, and great for E2E tests but supports only JavaScript.
  • TestCafe – Simple to configure, functions without browser plugins, & supports JS (JavaScript).
  • Selenium – Open-source, free, supports various programming languages (Python, Java, C#).
  • Playwright – Supports various web browsers, headless mode, and parallel implementation.

2. Mobile App Tests

For testing hybrid, native, and web applications on iOS and Android.

  • Espresso (Android) – Google’s authorized framework for fast User Interface (UI) tests.
  • Appium – Open-source, supports both iOS and Android with Selenium-like syntax.
  • Perfecto – Cloud-centric mobile tests with actual devices.
  • XCUITest (iOS) – Apple’s UI test framework for iOS apps.

3. API Testing

It guarantees that backend APIs function properly and handles several request/response circumstances.

  • RestAssured – Java-based API tests framework for RESTful solutions.
  • Postman – User-friendly API tests with scripting and automation support.
  • SoapUI – Best for REST and SOAP API testing, supports performance and security tests.
  • Karate – Combines API tests with UI and performance test capabilities.

4. Performance & Load Testing

Calculates app reliability, speed, and scalability.

  • Gatling – Supports high-performance load tests with Scala-centric scripting.
  • JMeter – Free, open-source, extensively used for load and performance tests.
  • Locust – Python-powered load test framework, perfect for distributed tests.
  • k6 – Developer-friendly, modern performance tests tool.

5. CI/CD & Automation Testing Incorporation

To integrate automated tests into CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines.

  • GitHub Actions – Automates workflows, incorporating executing testing before deployment.
  • DevOps – Incorporates tests into Microsoft’s cloud-centric CI/CD platform.
  • GitLab CI/CD – Built-in CI/CD for GitLab projects with smooth test implementation.
  • Jenkins – Open-source CI/CD tool with robust automated support.

6. AI-Centric & Low-Code/ No-Code Automated Testing

For QA teams seeking to automate tests without deep coding knowledge.

  • Testim – AI-powered automated testing that self-heals flaky tests.
  • ACCELQ – AI-driven codeless automation for API, web, and mobile tests.
  • Katalon Studio – Low-code automation for mobile, web, and API tests.

Fix QA with LambdaTest Today!

QA teams often struggle with slower test cycles, inconsistent environs, and restricted test coverage—which results in delayed releases and undetected errors. The solution? LambdaTest is an AI-native cloud-powered test implementation platform that supercharges your QA procedure, fast-tracks automation, and guarantees smooth cross-browser tests.

Why LambdaTest?

  • Test on 5,000+ Environments.

Perform testing across actual devices, web browsers, and OS blends, counting:

  • Mobile test on actual Android and iOS gadgets.
  • Safari for Google Chrome, Windows, MS Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
  • Cloud-powered virtual machines—no setup needed!
  • Automate & Accelerate Tests

Accelerate release cycles with parallel tests on Appium, Cypress, Selenium, Playwright, and more. Run several tests concurrently to reduce implementation time.

  • Smooth CI/CD Incorporation

LambdaTest incorporates effortlessly with:

  • GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Azure DevOps.
  • Slack, JIRA, and Trello for immediate error reporting.
  • AI-centric smart reruns to remove flaky testing.
  • Scalable & Reliable Performance Tests

Guarantee your web app runs under load with network logs, real-time debugging, and geolocation tests for international users.

Conclusion

QA teams can no longer afford to be loopholes in the software development procedure. By embracing automation, shifting left, and empowering QA specialists, businesses can dramatically improve software quality, fast-track releases, and improve user experiences.

Leveraging cloud-powered test platforms such as LambdaTest enables teams to test across various environs, counting Safari for Windows, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and mobile devices, confirming smooth compatibility. Automating recurring deeds and incorporating QA early in the development cycle results in speedy bug detection, reduced expenses, and an effective workflow.

Ready to revolutionize your QA procedure? Try LambdaTest now and experience smooth, effective, and scalable tests! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • What does “Shift Left” mean in Quality Assurance?

It is a great strategy that incorporates QA early in the SDLC instead of treating it as the last stage. This helps detect flaws sooner, reducing expenses and improving overall software quality.

  • Should everything in Quality Assurance be automated?

No. While automation is critical for effectiveness, some test types like usability, exploratory, and visual testing, require manual intervention. Teams must prioritize automating high-impact and recurring test cases.

  • How can automation enhance QA processes?

Automation reduces recurring manual deeds, enhances test coverage, and fast-tracks error detection. By automating performance tests, regression tests, and cross-browser tests (for instance, on Safari for Windows and Google Chrome), QA teams can focus on top-value testing efforts.

  • How can companies empower their QA teams?
  • Offer ongoing training on new test tools and technologies.
  • Encourage open communication between software developers, QA, and product managers. 
  • Invest in better test infrastructure, such as cloud-powered testing platforms.
  • Recognize the significance of QA in software quality and business decisions.
  • How long does it take to see improvements after applying these steps?

The effect varies depending on current procedures and team size, but companies can usually see noticeable improvements in test effectiveness, defect reduction, and speedy releases within a few months. 

  • How can QA teams collaborate better with software developers?
  • Involve QA in sprint planning and requirement discussions.
  • Employ TDD or BDD techniques. 
  • Utilize collaboration tools like Trello, Slack, and Jira.
  • Encourage pair tests between QA engineers and software developers.
  • Is investing in QA (quality assurance) necessary?

Absolutely! QA isn’t an expense; it is an asset to your software’s success. Strong QA procedures help prevent expensive defects, enhance user experience, and improve overall business reputation.