Stage 04
QA & Testing Process
Gates that make releases boring - in a good way.
Approach stage 04: QA & Testing ProcessWhy it matters
Why this stage earns its keep.
fewer escapes
risk-based pyramid, not coverage vanity
faster cycles
automation over click-through
a11y by default
axe gates in CI, keyboard passes manual
trustworthy suite
flake quarantine, same day
Step by step
How it runs.
Test plan
risk map + pyramid split
Unit + API tests
Vitest + contract tests
E2E Playwright
critical paths first
Perf + a11y
k6 budgets + axe zero critical
Release gate
red blocks, always
Deliverables
What you walk away with.
- test strategy + risk map
- e2e suite
- API contract tests
- perf budget report
- a11y report
- flake quarantine policy
- coverage dashboard
- maintenance runbook
Who's involved
The people on the stage.
- QA engineer1-2
- SDET1
- Eng manager0.5
Tools
The kit.
Controls
Quality & risk.
- red blocks release
- flaky quarantined same day
- a11y zero critical
- perf budgets in CI
- coverage risk-based
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Existing suites?
Refactor or extend; nothing sacred, nothing wasted.
A11y included?
Always - gates plus manual keyboard passes.
Device labs?
Cloud farms plus real devices for critical paths.
How fast to green?
Typical first gate live within 2-3 weeks.
Who owns it after?
Your team - the runbook is a deliverable.
QA & Testing Process applied to your project.
Tell us where you are — we'll run the stage that gets you unstuck.