QA to QE Phase 1 – Assess and Plan – Laying the Foundations

Following on from the last post which summarised the whole model, let’s move onto the first step.

Quality Engineering (QE) is a game-changer, but making the leap from traditional QA practices to a more modern, holistic approach takes some groundwork. You can’t just dive straight in; it all starts with understanding where you are now and where you want to go. In this post, I’ll take you through the first phase of the transition: Assess and Plan.

Step 1: Analyse Where You Are Now
You can’t fix what you don’t understand. Start by digging into your current workflows. Ask yourself:

• How does work actually get delivered?
• When does testing come into the conversation? (Hint: if it’s not until the end, that’s your first red flag.)
• How are tests identified?
• How is testing funded?

The goal here is to identify pain points. Is testing stuck in silos? Are you bogged down by manual processes or late-stage testing? Gather data on your tools, frameworks, and team capabilities, this will give you a clear picture of your starting point.

Step 2: Define Your QE Objectives and Principles
Once you’ve scoped out the lay of the land, it’s time to figure out where you want to go. What’s the endgame? Maybe it’s reducing time-to-market, catching defects earlier, or improving test coverage.

But don’t stop there, tie these goals to what the organisation cares about, like customer satisfaction or system reliability. And most importantly, get everyone on board with a shared vision. What does “good” look like for your team and for the wider business.

Build that Quality Narrative together and outline the principles you’ll all stand by. This is best built in collaborative workshops where everyone has a voice and come up for a set of short statements that everyone in the team believes in, this might be statements as simple as:

• We automate where it makes sense
• Testing isn’t an activity that happens at the end
• We use Risk Based Approaches as we can’t test everything

An example from my past role at easyJet can be seen here

When the team feels involved, they’re more likely to buy into the changes.

Step 3: Get Stakeholders on Side
Here’s the truth: you can’t do this alone. Leadership and key stakeholders need to understand the value of QE and why it’s different from traditional testing. Show them how a shift-left approach, test automation, and holistic testing practices can drive better outcomes.

Focus on communicating the benefits, faster delivery, fewer defects, happier customers. Give them the big picture, but also some tangible, real-world examples of how QE will make a difference. The more you can align with their priorities, the more support you’ll get.

Conclusion
The Assess and Plan phase isn’t the flashiest part of the QE transformation, but it’s arguably the most important. By taking the time to understand your current state, set clear objectives, and rally support, you’re laying the groundwork for success.

Remember: QE isn’t just about adopting new tools or processes, it’s a mindset shift. And like any good foundation, this phase will set you up for a smoother transition in the phases to come.