QA Workflow

The QA workflow covers the final verification phase where the QA team validates completed development work and transitions specifications from under-test to released status. This process ensures that only properly verified features reach end users.

Overview

When development work reaches the under-test status, the QA team takes ownership of the validation process. After successful verification against acceptance criteria and test scenarios, the team transitions the specification to released status.

under-test  ──>  released

If testing fails, the work returns to an earlier status for correction.

Workflow Stages

Under-Test (Starting Point)

The development team has signaled that implementation is complete and the specification is ready for verification.

What the QA team receives:

A specification with clearly defined acceptance criteria
Implementation that the development team considers complete
Full traceability from the specification back to business goals
Visibility into what changed compared to previous versions

Testing in Progress

The QA team conducts validation activities.

Who owns it: QA team

What happens:

QA team members review the specification's acceptance criteria
Testing is performed against the implemented functionality
Test results are recorded
Issues found are documented and communicated

What QA team members can do:

View all work items currently in under-test status
Access the details of work items they need to test
Indicate when testing has passed or failed
Transition items to released when validation is complete

Released (Transition Target)

The specification has been verified and is available to end users.

Who performs the transition: Authorized QA team member

What this signals:

All acceptance criteria have been verified
The implementation meets the specification requirements
The feature is approved for production use

Key rules:

Only users with QA team authorization can transition items to released
Work items must be in under-test status before they can be released
The release transition must capture an audit trail of who approved the release
Work items cannot skip the under-test phase

Test Failure

When testing reveals issues that need correction.

What happens:

The QA team member indicates the test failure
The work item returns to an earlier status for rework
The development team addresses the issues
The item returns to under-test for re-verification

Transition Criteria

From	To	Requirements
under-test	released	All acceptance criteria verified; authorized QA team member approves
under-test	(earlier status)	Test failure documented; returned for rework

QA Team Responsibilities

Review acceptance criteria -- understand exactly what needs to be verified
Validate implementation -- test against the specification, not assumptions
Document results -- record what was tested and the outcome
Approve or reject -- make a clear decision on each work item
Maintain the audit trail -- every decision should be traceable

Status History

Every QA transition is recorded with:

The QA team member who performed the action
A timestamp of the decision
Whether the item was released or returned for rework
Context or notes about the decision

Tips for QA Teams

Start with the acceptance criteria -- they define the pass/fail boundaries
Check the specification hierarchy -- understand the feature's context within goals
Verify traceability -- ensure tests map back to acceptance criteria
Communicate clearly when returning items for rework -- the development team needs to understand what failed
Use the SPECLAN tree view to quickly see all items awaiting testing