How can you ensure Agile QA aligns with the Definition of Done?

1 Understand the DoD

The first step to align your agile QA with the DoD is to understand what it means and how it is defined for your project. The DoD should be clear, specific, measurable, and achievable, and it should reflect the expectations and needs of the stakeholders, the product owner, and the development team. The DoD should also be aligned with the quality standards and best practices of your organization and industry. You should review the DoD with your team and your product owner before each sprint, and make sure everyone agrees on what it entails and how it will be verified.

2 Plan your testing activities

The next step to align your agile QA with the DoD is to plan your testing activities according to the scope and complexity of the user stories and the sprint goals. You should identify the test cases, the test data, the test environments, and the test tools that you will need to validate the functionality, usability, performance, security, and reliability of the software. You should also estimate the effort and time required for each testing activity, and prioritize them based on the risk and value of the user stories. You should communicate your testing plan to your team and your product owner, and update it as needed throughout the sprint.

3 Collaborate with your team

The third step to align your agile QA with the DoD is to collaborate with your team and your product owner throughout the sprint. You should participate in the daily stand-ups, the sprint reviews, and the retrospectives, and share your feedback, issues, and suggestions. You should also work closely with the developers, and perform continuous integration and testing, as well as pair testing and peer reviews. You should leverage the tools and techniques that enable agile collaboration, such as test automation, test-driven development, behavior-driven development, and exploratory testing. You should also foster a culture of quality and trust within your team, and encourage everyone to take ownership and responsibility for the quality of the software.

4 Review the results

The final step to align your agile QA with the DoD is to review the results of your testing activities and compare them with the DoD criteria. You should document and report the defects, the test coverage, the test execution, and the test metrics that you have collected during the sprint. You should also verify that the user stories have met the acceptance criteria, the non-functional requirements, and the quality standards that were defined in the DoD. You should present your findings to your team and your product owner, and confirm that they are satisfied with the quality of the software. You should also identify the areas of improvement and the lessons learned for the next sprint.