Effective Tips for Managing Remote QA Team

In a world with continually lower attention spans and increasing demands for top-shelf quality, websites and apps cannot afford to provide anything less than flawless function and visuals. Consequently, Quality Assurance (QA) is an indispensable part of modern software development. To release software without adequately comprehensive QA will inevitably lead to negative customer reviews, disrupted revenue streams, and a serious loss in reputation.

QA engineers don’t just run manual and automated tests to determine product quality. They contribute to development by setting standards for quality requirements the team/organization must follow. They are also responsible for training potential customers/users for user acceptance training and selecting relevant tools such as Selenium, Appium, Espresso, etc.

Thus, when the pandemic hit and testers (like everyone else) had to shift operations to their home, there arose genuine concerns about how effective QA activities would be.

Though remote QA work is not entirely new (plenty of individual testers work remotely), managing remote QA teams is a recent phenomenon. Like all other shifts in global work patterns, QA from home must be adjusted to.

To evaluate if a particular QA team is ready to conduct remote testing and delivery requisite results, certain conditions must be met. This article will outline some of those conditions so that QA managers know what is required to coordinate their teams and continue delivering quality at acceptable speeds.

Effective Tips for every Remote QA Testing Team

Here are some of the most effective tips for every remote QA Team to follow:

1. Detailed Communication

Regular communication does not come naturally for remote teams. If it did, office spaces would not be required. Lack of adequate communication is especially common when new employees are being onboarded.

There needs to be a codified set of rules or guidelines to establish clear communication in remote QA teams. These include specifics on when meetings should be held, what tools to use, the primary modes of communication – email, video chat, text chat, etc. While most teams do have understandings regarding these within themselves, it is still best to have documentation available to help with onboarding and reduce conflict in remote work settings.

2. Focused tracking of progress

In a remote QA setup, tracking a team’s progress – what went wrong, what worked, and the learnings – helps ensure that bugs are not missed, and product quality does not suffer. Managers need to confirm that the team has clear targets for each day, week, and month. These targets can vary from the number of tests run, the number of features tested, the number of bugs detected, and so forth.

Consider implementing a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system of some kind that assigns a number, label, or color to the performance. For example:

1-3: Exceptional
4-6: Excellent
7-9: Decent
10: Needs Improvement

These numbers can determine team performance as frequently as necessary. Managers can keep track of how their team fares each day and get a handle on any roadblocks or disruptions before they severely affect product quality.

3. Single-source Reporting and Result Evaluation

When working in isolation, it is vital to generate detailed reports on completed tasks for clients so that they do not feel neglected or out of the loop. In addition to the targets described in the previous point, this helps managers stay on top of their team’s progress.

A management tool such as Jira lets managers accomplish several tasks in this vein:

• Remote planning each task
• Separate development tasks from QA tasks
• Evaluate the team’s productivity
• Identify areas requiring improvement or refinement
• Generate reports on errors found, time taken to test, and changes made

4. Using the right tools

Remote work, especially in QA testing, requires the right set of tools to ensure tasks are completed efficiently and without complications.
Testers need access to real browsers, devices, and operating systems, along with automation frameworks to run test cases seamlessly. To achieve this, cloud-based infrastructure is essential for providing the necessary testing environment.
Moreover, collaboration is key for remote teams. Rather than working on isolated test plans, testers must have tools that enable them to come together on a unified test plan, allowing for shared workflows and smoother teamwork.

This collaborative approach ensures that teams can work in sync, track progress collectively, and resolve issues more effectively, leading to faster and more accurate testing cycles.

5. Established bug documentation guidelines

Whether working from home or the office, QA is all about quickly and effectively identifying and documenting bugs. Remote QA requires a heightened focus on establishing clear bug documentation standards. With testers often working in isolation, it’s easy for team norms to be overlooked. To minimize resource-draining issues, testers should adhere to consistent bug reporting practices, such as including detailed descriptions and screenshots.

Automated tests are critical in CI/CD pipelines, triggered with each new build, to maintain quality and efficiency in DevOps processes. Tools like Jira and GitHub streamline bug tracking, reducing time spent troubleshooting and improving collaboration.

6. Establish Clear Communication Channels

Use tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams to create dedicated channels for specific discussions, ensuring team members stay connected and aligned. Prompt communication helps address issues quickly and keeps everyone on the same page.

7. Leverage Cloud-Based Testing Tools

Cloud testing platforms like BrowserStack allow teams to run tests across real devices and browsers, ensuring comprehensive test coverage without needing physical hardware. This is especially useful for remote teams that need flexibility and scalability.

8. Set Up a Centralized Test Repository

A centralized repository for test cases, bug reports, and documentation keeps everything organized and accessible. Tools like BrowserStack Test Management and Jira help streamline access, making it easy for team members to collaborate, review, and update as needed.

9. Use Version Control for Test Scripts

Store test scripts in a version control system like GitHub or GitLab. This practice allows for effective management of changes, tracking of revisions, and ensures team-wide consistency in testing processes.

10. Focus on Comprehensive Documentation

Detailed documentation of test cases, results, and defects ensures that the testing process is structured and transparent. Accessible documentation allows all team members to understand and follow the QA process accurately.

11. Try Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) for Better Collaboration

BDD Framework aligns team members around shared scenarios that define application behavior. Writing test cases in simple, user-focused language helps prevent miscommunication and ensures that everyone—from developers to stakeholders—understands the requirements.

12. Manage Time Zones Effectively

With team members across different time zones, tools like World Time Buddy make scheduling easier. Coordinating meeting times and setting clear deadlines ensures timely communication and feedback, helping to maintain productivity and meet goals on schedule.

Why BrowserStack is ideal for Remote Testing Teams?

BrowserStack is an ideal platform for remote QA teams, offering powerful tools for managing and optimizing testing workflows.

• BrowserStack Enterprise is tailored for remote QA teams, providing unlimited user access and low per-user rates for efficient scaling. It integrates with tools like Jira, Trello, GitHub, and Slack, streamlining team collaboration. With over 3,500 real devices and browsers, it ensures extensive test coverage without emulators. Additional features like real-time debugging, geolocation, and real-user conditions support accurate, real-world testing. BrowserStack Live for Teams enables effective collaboration, thorough testing, and sustained productivity in remote settings.
• BrowserStack’s Test Management, make all test cases, bug reports, and documentation centralized in a single location. This setup allows QA teams to stay organized and easily access project documentation, making it easier to coordinate and execute testing plans while tracking progress effectively.
• Test Observability offers real-time insights into test performance, helping remote teams quickly identify and resolve issues. The feature also provides detailed reports and data to aid in troubleshooting and maintaining continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, ensuring an uninterrupted workflow.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, remote QA teams can thrive by prioritizing clear communication, effective progress tracking, and a unified reporting structure. Implementing detailed bug documentation and adopting Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) further enhances collaboration and efficiency.

BrowserStack is an excellent tool for remote testing teams, offering centralized reporting, real-time collaboration, and robust test management. Its scalability and observability streamline workflows, ensuring quick issue detection and resolution.

By combining these best practices with BrowserStack’s powerful tools, teams can achieve greater productivity, faster releases, and improved software quality.