In the context of software engineering, software quality refers to two related but distinct notions that exist wherever quality is defined in a business context:

A. Software functional quality reflects how well it complies with or conforms to a given design, based on functional requirements or specifications. That attribute can also be described as the fitness for purpose of a piece of software or how it compares to competitors in the marketplace as a worthwhile product. It is the degree to which the correct software was produced.

B. Software structural quality refers to how it meets non-functional requirements that support the delivery of the functional requirements, such as robustness or maintainability. It has a lot more to do with the degree to which the software works as needed.

QA Leads have the responsibility that both notions are addressed in an Agile manner through team interactions, pre-planning, support, providing feedback, governance, etc.

QA Leads have a critical role in an Agile environment and in the A2F Framework. Apart from mentoring QA folks, they help with the following:

  1. Provide high level estimation in the Progressive Elaboration process.
  2. Provide input for Lean | Agile team structure to help promote a more cross-functional, self-organizing team.
  3. Evaluate and help implement new QA tools to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and quality.
  4. Define QA metrics for Program Portfolio and Team.
  5. Be an active Communities of Practice participant for all the tracks.
  6. Drive overall Lean Agile strategies for QA such as Integration, Feature, End-to-End testing.
  7. Provide feedback about the Agile process to the APM and Agile CoE from a QA perspective.
  8. Set internal QA priorities and benchmarks.
  9. Participate in Program Portfolio Retrospectives.
  10. Serve as an Escalation path for QA folks in the Program Portfolio.
  11. Help coordinate UAT testing in the Agile process.
  12. Motivate the team to continuously improve and innovate.
  13. Drive a QA Roadmap that encapsulates continuous QA improvement towards automation and cross-functional teams.

The QA Lead should collaborate as much as possible with the other leads to ensure alignment, understanding of expectations, and to help prepare for the next Big Room Planning event. QA Leads are leaders in the organization and should have a QA vision and strategy. The QA Lead should stay abreast of new developments in their domain, foster learning discussions, and provide a forum for others to give them feedback.