Can I just throw it over the wall?
One of the positive aspects I gained from a recent project involved how development handoffs to QA were managed.
The handover process had historically been informal. Developers would ask, “Is this story ready to QA? Well, I think so, it must be.” This casual approach led to problems.
Dev to QA handoff
The Problem
The team encountered numerous bugs — not critical issues threatening code quality, but rather numerous small irritations revealing careless development practices. Stories returned from QA with considerable fixes needed, consuming time on rework rather than delivering new features.
The Solution: A Checklist
The team implemented a simple checklist system. If we, as developers, were being sloppy when finishing the stories, why didn’t we have a list of what we had to do before considering it ready?
This straightforward tool helped developers remember essential tasks. Using the checklist, developers could verify browser compatibility and confirm acceptance criteria were genuinely met before submission.
Acceptance Criteria and Mind Maps
Complementing the checklist, the team created mind maps documenting what QA would test for each story. This transparency shifted the dynamic from the traditional “I’m going to find bugs in your story” mentality.
Cross-role collaboration proved invaluable. With testing expectations clear, developers could examine stories through QA’s perspective, catching edge cases before handoff. The result: improved delivery.