How an Over-Reliance On QA Backfires — The Subtle Art of Man Bashing
How an excessive focus on quality can have adverse effects
QA is a necessary evil when it comes to creating software, as a lot of gems slip through the cracks. But it can also be a hindrance if an organization puts too much focus on its QA process, instead of the customer experience.
This can happen when the QA process becomes an end in itself, rather than a means to an end. This is especially true when QA teams are heavily incentivized to catch bugs and test for them. It creates a culture where developers spend their days fixing bugs instead of fixing problems that customers actually care about.
Innovation takes the back seat
For a company whose primary focus is technology, strong quality assurance (QA) plays an important role. However — when QA takes precedence over everything else within the corporation — the end result can be catastrophic.
One issue is that the company may become too risk-averse, unwilling to try out new ideas or take on new projects. This can stifle innovation and prevent it from staying competitive in an industry where change happens rapidly.
Why does a team become QA-centric?
A team may become QA-centric for a variety of reasons, but one common reason is that the team is under pressure to meet high-quality standards. In an attempt to maintain these standards, the team may prioritize its quality assurance activities.
Another reason a team may become QA-centric is that they lack confidence in the quality of their work — so, they focus heavily on catching problems before going to customers.
If a team lacks clear direction or goals, members may naturally gravitate toward the role of quality assurance. Without an understanding of what’s expected from them, these individuals will work to make themselves feel productive by taking on QA activities as part of their overall workloads.
Results in Demoralized Dev Team
QA can become overburdened, creating a perception that developers are not competent or their work is not valued. This leads to feelings of inadequacy and demotivation among team members.
In addition, overreliance on QA can lead to a breakdown in communication and collaboration between the development team and the quality assurance group. When the developers feel that their work is constantly being scrutinized or criticized — instead of simply validated by those whose expertise lies in testing software — they are likely to become resentful towards testers for wasting time on trivialities instead of actually helping them solve problems.
A team’s reliance on QA can decrease its members’ sense of responsibility for quality. When the focus is on quality assurance rather than delivering high-quality products or services, team members may find it difficult to take pride in their work and feel responsible for its success.
The team becomes test-focused and innovation slows down
Excessive reliance on testing can take up a lot of time and resources, pulling attention away from other activities such as research and development that are crucial to innovation.
It creates a risk-averse culture within the organization. When the focus is on minimizing risk and avoiding mistakes, it can be difficult for team members to feel confident in proposing new ideas or taking calculated risks. This lack of confidence may inhibit their innovative spirit — and prevent them from staying competitive in a rapidly-changing industry.
Reduces speed and efficiency
If testing takes too long, it can delay the development and release of new products or features — which in turn may make it harder for an organization to bring new ideas to market as quickly as its competitors.
Takeaways
Yes, quality is important. But too much of a good thing can have negative effects on the bottom line. And in the case of misplaced priorities, it’s the humans who get hurt in the end. After all, those are the ones who have to put their heart and soul into the work — and deal with all the repercussions when their efforts aren’t deemed good enough.
