How do you celebrate and recognize the test team's achievements and contributions?

You can celebrate the test team’s achievements based on the nature, scope and significance of the achievements. You can send personalized thankyou notes and cards to each team member for highlighting their contribution and impact. On the other hand, you can also share the team’s achievements with the rest of the organization through a newsletter, blog post or social media post. You can organize team celebrations, lunch, happy hour, fun activities for some relaxation. A team award or recognition like a trophy, certificate or gift card reflecting the team's values is another great idea. Organising Team development programs can help your team grow as well as learn from all their previous achievements. So, you can consider this option as well.

In my experience, this is the most important step. The idea is to ensure there was thorough testing done and the team is not missing any potential quality checks. I prefer a structured way to review the test objectives and scope. A predefined template for every feature or release qualification can be helpful. These can contain:-- 1. Test coverage % - If it's less than x% reason should be explained. I prefer x to be ~100%. 2. Pass% - For every acceptable failure, a but ticket should be attached and the testing team should ensure comment from the Engg manager or developer accountable for the feature to say why it was not fixed. 3. Other metrics - This can include the components tested/total time taken/ count of (P1/P2 issues filed ) etc

We celebrate and recognize the test team's achievements and contributions through regular team meetings where accomplishments are highlighted and praised. Additionally, we organize quarterly recognition events, such as awards ceremonies or team outings, to show appreciation for their hard work and dedication.

There is a saying "If it's not written, it never happened." It's very important to have proper documentation of the test results. To be consistent with every feature/release qualification it's good to follow a template that works for the team. Precisely these should contain:-- 1. Link for test results, test plan, other archives like test data/logs (Can be a link to an artifactory). 2. Issues found in the software 3. List of known issues(open issues feature/release can go out with). 4. Known risks 5. Any instructions for installation. 6. Shasum/md5sum(if applicable) of the binaries tested. 7. QA Point of Contact 8. Signoff section where major stakeholders will review and approve the details.

Celebrating and recognizing the test team's achievements and contributions involves archiving the test artifacts and deliverables as a testament to their hard work and dedication. These artifacts serve as tangible evidence of the team's efforts and accomplishments throughout the testing process. By preserving and showcasing these materials, teams can acknowledge individual and collective achievements, highlight successes, and foster a culture of appreciation and recognition within the organization. This practice not only boosts team morale but also reinforces the value of the testing function in delivering high-quality software products.

For the fourth step of wrapping up your testing, think about having a final meeting with everyone involved, like the project leader, the developers, the customer, and your testing crew. This meeting is a chance to: 1. Share what you found out: Talk about how the testing went and what you discovered. 2. Learn from the experience: Discuss what went well and what could be better next time. 3. Get everyone's thoughts: Encourage everyone to share their feedback and ideas for making things better. 4. Before the meeting, put together a list of what you want to talk about and maybe some slides to show.