QA Initiation & Project Alignment
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This stage occurs at the beginning of a new project or when QA becomes involved in an existing project. The goal of this phase is to clarify expectations, define the testing scope, and collect essential information required for effective QA planning.
Objectives
- Understand project context and business objectives
- Identify supported platforms, browsers, and devices
- Clarify QA expectations and deliverables
- Assess environment availability and infrastructure
- Identify initial risks and constraints
- Establish communication channels with stakeholders
QA Activities
During this stage QA collaborates with the Product Owner, client, or project stakeholders to clarify key aspects of the product and testing expectations.
Typical topics include:
Platform and Application Type - supported platforms (web, mobile, desktop) - availability of responsive or mobile versions of the application - target operating systems
Browser and Device Support - supported browsers and browser versions - supported devices and screen resolutions - mobile platform requirements (iOS, Android)
Integrations and Dependencies - integrations with external systems or third-party services - dependencies on other systems or components - API integrations requiring validation
Infrastructure and Environments - availability of test environments - environment access and configuration requirements - deployment process and schedule
Release and Delivery - release process and deployment expectations - release frequency and timelines - rollback and emergency procedures
Documentation and Reporting - expectations regarding test documentation and reporting - required deliverables and artifacts - reporting frequency and formats - stakeholder communication preferences
This list represents an initial set of questions used to align QA activities with project requirements. More detailed questionnaires and project-specific QA discovery checklists may be used where necessary.
Stakeholder Collaboration
During initiation, QA establishes working relationships with:
- Product Owners – to understand business requirements and priorities
- Project Managers – to align QA activities with project timeline
- Technical Leads – to understand system architecture and technical constraints
- DevOps/Infrastructure Teams – to coordinate environment setup and access
- Design Teams – to understand UI/UX expectations and design specifications
Outcome
The outcome of this phase typically includes:
- clarified QA expectations and testing scope
- initial understanding of supported platforms and environments
- identification of potential testing risks and constraints
- alignment between QA, product, and development teams regarding quality goals
- established communication channels and stakeholder contacts
- documented initial project information for test planning
Success Criteria
- All critical project information collected
- Stakeholder expectations clearly understood
- Potential risks and blockers identified
- QA team has sufficient information to begin test planning
- Communication channels established with key project stakeholders
Resources
📋 QA Initiation Questionnaire Template (Will be added later)
A detailed questionnaire template and guideline for collecting comprehensive project information from clients and stakeholders will be provided.