Introducing QA Into an Agile Environment

Agile teams are all about poly-skilled individuals picking up tasks and performing them based on what is needful. At least, that’s how it is advertised. In reality, there are several reasons why testing is often a specialized activity even on agile teams. As a result, when a dev shop decides to make the switch to an agile methodology, QA is often the most difficult part of the journey to navigate.

I will describe in detail how I have helped navigate it successfully at two separate clients that are as different as can be. In the process, I will outline the various roles that a QA professional can and should play on an agile team and how they can make the process run more smoothly. If this is done right, the tester can become the developer’s best friend.