It’s easy to think of quality assurance (QA) as just the responsibility of the QA team, but this approach misses the bigger picture—quality is a shared effort that touches every team, from development and design to product management and customer support. QA leads the way, but real success happens when each team brings something to the table. This shift moves quality from being a last-minute checkpoint to becoming the backbone of product success.

Here are five strategies to make quality a priority for every team, turning it from a to-do list item into a continuous commitment.

1. Define QA’s Accountability, but Share Responsibility Across Teams

Delivering a high-quality product requires contributions from everyone, with QA setting the standards. By defining how each team will contribute to quality, you create a culture where every team member sees it as part of their daily work—not just a job for QA.

‍How QA Leads Accountability with a Team Effort
‍Clarify that QA is the accountability holder—they ensure that release criteria are met, and performance expectations are clear. QA is accountable for quality, but they don’t work alone; every team has a role.

Each Team’s Role in Quality Assurance

• Developers: Conduct code reviews and practice pair programming to catch defects early. Studies show pair programming reduces defects by up to 15%, helping developers catch errors sooner. Using automated testing alongside these practices further strengthens quality by identifying issues in real-time.
• Designers: Test usability and gather feedback to create a smooth, intuitive experience.
• Product Managers: Set quality expectations early and involve QA in planning to align goals.
• Customer Support: Share user insights with QA and development to catch issues that impact users.

With QA keeping teams aligned, quality becomes a shared journey rather than a last-minute sprint.

2. Build Consensus on Standards and Performance Metrics

For quality to be truly cross-functional, it’s crucial to establish standards and metrics that everyone can understand and aim for. This way, each team has a clear view of what quality looks like and how it’s measured.

Creating Shared Quality Standards
‍Hold team discussions to define what quality means for your product, covering functional requirements, performance standards, and user experience benchmarks.

Set Standards That Flex and Grow
‍Craft standards that are both ambitious and achievable, with room for evolution as projects progress. QA can guide these discussions to maintain the right balance of high standards and practical execution.

Define Non-Functional Requirements
‍QA should lead in embedding non-functional requirements—like security and scalability—into quality benchmarks, making these standards part of the entire development process.

3. Create Custom Best Practices in the Absence of Universal Standards

Industry standards don’t always apply directly, and that’s OK! By building a quality approach that plays to each team’s strengths, you create practices that meet your unique needs.

Tailoring Best Practices
‍When one-size-fits-all standards don’t work, create your own. Identify team strengths and opportunities for growth to develop quality practices that fit your needs.

Stay Informed on Industry Trends
‍Adapt what works from industry standards and use tools like a probability and impact matrix (i.e., assessing the impact of certain risks and exposure or likelihood of it occurring). Platforms like Centercode can also help you prioritize and address issues and other feedback from testers, ensuring you launch high quality products that resonate with users.

4. Partner with Leadership in Quality Decisions

Making quality a strategic focus requires QA’s collaboration with leadership on key metrics and priorities. As a proactive partner, QA can give leadership the data needed to make informed decisions that support product success.

Define Quality Metrics Early
‍Work with leadership to define metrics like defect rates, test coverage, and user satisfaction scores. QA insights become a strategic asset, helping guide quality decisions.

Position QA as a Strategic Partner
‍When QA has a seat at the table in leadership decisions about product readiness and resource allocation, it reinforces QA’s role as a proactive partner in quality.

5. Make QA a Proactive Partner, Not Just a Safety Net

Too often, QA is seen as a safety net, catching issues late in the process. But when QA is brought in early, they can proactively manage quality, identifying and resolving issues before they become costly.

Promote a Culture of Risk Awareness
‍Encourage team members to identify and address risks early. QA can then be involved proactively, rather than reactively.

Enable Collaborative Risk Management
‍Use risk registers and collaborative planning to capture and address risks across teams. For instance, Intel’s project team proactively identified capacity limitations by involving QA, engineering, and project management in structured risk analysis. By prioritizing high-severity risks early, they could develop both prevention and contingency plans, aligning all stakeholders for continuous improvement.

Make Quality a Collective Priority

A collaborative approach to quality elevates every stage of product development. Developers catch issues early, product managers stay connected to user needs, and designers gain insights into usability. This approach also reduces post-launch issues, creating a more satisfying user experience.

When quality is everyone’s responsibility, it stops being a hurdle and becomes a foundation for product success. A shared commitment to quality builds stronger products and more cohesive teams—benefiting everyone, especially your users.

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