Lessons Learned: What Agile QA has taught me

What Agile Means to Quality

For Agile, there really is no 1 set of ways to go about it. If you're used to Waterfall, Agile is just a more "compressed" version. 

While you may get different opinions, these few things hold true:

"Garbage In, Garbage Out"

Good testing starts with a good process. That means you have an Entrance Criteria, Process Document, and Exit Criteria, as well as a Sign-Off Document prior to delivery of your project.

"The Right Tools"

As QA, you need to ensure the documents and tools you are using are concise and relevant. Check that they are up-to-date, finalized, and located in a centralized spot that everyone can access.

"Agile Doesn't Mean Sloppy" 

That means all players are responsible for their contribution; when designers or developers are careless, testing will drag.

"Quality isn't everything, its the only thing"

Don't be afraid to call out anything, or anyone, that interferes with your efforts (unless its a management decision).

"Be Thorough, Be Patient"

Do not let ridiculous deadlines, or shifted priorities, circumvent your testing efforts.

"Can't Catch 'Em All!"

There will always be a bug or two that gets away from you when you go live. From my experience, its your job to catch the biggest ones and report even the tiniest ones. More often than not, these teeny ones will be baked in towards an update.

"Don't Hate, Congratulate!"

Testing can be trying at times, but I can't stress it enough how important it is to pat your designer or developer on the back when the job gets done, or when they're doing well. Always lend a hand if you can to ensure they're doing their job to the best of their abilities.

"Do What You Love, Love What You Do!"

Last but not least, smile and make your job fun. Testing is tedious, but that doesn't mean you can't get creative and make the task more enjoyable.