Definition of Ready: A QA Perspective
- Rohit Rajendran
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
Go ahead, start testing that half-baked feature without a clear Definition of Ready. I'm sure you won't waste hours on clarifications, rework, and frustration.
Of course, I'm being facetious. But I've seen countless QA cycles derailed because testing began before features were truly ready for validation. The cost in team morale and efficiency is enormous. 🚧
That's why I'm passionate about establishing a robust Definition of Ready (DoR) from a quality perspective. Our DoR checklist includes essentials like complete acceptance criteria, documented edge cases, test data availability, and environment readiness.
The impact was immediate after implementation. Blockers during testing decreased by 70%, rework cycles were cut in half, and our defect escape rate plummeted. Most importantly, the relationship between development and QA transformed from adversarial to collaborative.
By refusing to start testing before all DoR criteria were met, we actually accelerated delivery. Counter-intuitive perhaps, but true quality is about doing things right the first time. ✅
Does your team have a formal Definition of Ready? What criteria do you consider essential before testing begins? Share your thoughts in the comments!
留言