Learn System Before Solving Release & Testing Challenges

 

I read this question on The Test Chat posted on 31st January 2026.

Hi, As we know that due to AI, development is happening at a much greater speed. Adding CI/Cd to it, companies are deploying daily releases.

Now consider you're a QA manager and you're assigned to a new project. Since it's a new development, Automation is not feasible as new features and changes are constantly happening. Also note that adding new resources to the QA team is not in budget.

How would you scale manual testing to cope up when the speed of development is a daily release ?

Please do not use ChatGPT 😁

The Question Posted on The Test Chat

Not sure if this is an interview question or a question posted from one's current context.

Here are my interpretations of the question to start. It will evolve as I discuss further.

1. What system is being discussed in the question?
• Having no idea on what is the system being discussed, all our discussions will be vague and irrelevant.
2. The said situation is possible and a common daily happening in startups and tech enterprises.
3. The daily releases are a common operations.
• But, the question is what are being released daily?
• How many releases in a day?
• How the teams orchestrate the release management? How the dependent interfaces are informed about it?
4. What is missing in this question?
• It does not say which all interfaces of the system as part of a product are changing constantly.
• Also, it does not say how these interfaces are connected and how they are interdependent.
• Does the change in one interface affect the other? If so, how?

I see the above questions should be worked upon for first.

Testing has to align with the speed of product's development.  In other words, today, the testing is all about the speed for first and then feedback at the fastest knowing the risks -- risk focused with AI in the arena than bug focused.  That is, by enabling the solutions of AI, the priority of me as a tester will be to focus over risk for first and than the bugs.

This is not a testing problem as such from the description of question.  It is the problem of seeking the clarity and how to be an enabler -- release enabler.

Once the clarity is available, one need to work on how to execute the testing and automation as an engineering activity in the chaos, yet deliver the serving releases.  

Me reasoning the above questions for first before working on scaling and executing the testing and automation, will be of super help.

Me having no clarity on the system and its interfaces dependency, but, working to streamline efforts with testing and automation for a super fast paced daily releases, is an engineering risk.

The Awareness Words On Growth And Promotion

 

I wish, I had seniors who said me about growth and promotions when I began my software testing career.  Could be my seniors did not know how important it is to share this with juniors who have started their career.  

Nevertheless, I want to share it here.  So that, it can be the words of awareness.  

These words of awareness related to promotions and growth is not limited to below sharing.  It is more and beyond.

The below are quick reminders to myself.  It can serve you as well.

• The good work delivered does not mean good money and benefits.
• The promotion and growth is not all about the good work done and delivered.
• It is about my identity, professional identity, visibility, communication, persuasion, influencing, the kind of problems I'm solving, the value and money I bring to the business.
• Me skilled in the tech stacks and capable to build, test and deliver is not the only priority factors for the growth, promotion and benefits, each time.
• The 1:1's and meeting with stakeholders should have a goal and way to evaluate the same periodically and consistently.
• It should be quantifiable and visible in the business.
• A manager's job is not to worry about my growth and promotions.
• A manager's job is to ensure the delivery is going good and meeting the business goals.
• A manager's job is to solve and enable the business on priority, most of the times.
• A manager can be of help in my growth and promotion to a certain role maybe until the senior engineer role.
• Beyond that, it is me and how I'm seen by my peers for what I'm and what I do.
• A manager is not responsible for my learning and upskilling.
• It is my responsibility and accountability.
• The manager might forget me after a release.
• She or he will remember me
• When I'm needed in the meeting.
• When a data is needed from me.
• When someone else need data of me.
• It is me who has to keep the manager engaged with my value and impacts delivered.
• The data has to be presented.
• The data should be quantifiable.
• The one whose work bring money to business and the one who sits in the role for making decisions that brings money to business, get identified and promoted usually.
• In other way, how close is my work to bring the money and impact to business and its growth?
• This is a preliminary equation which one has to have and solve before going to ask promotion, growth and benefits in a business place.
• How to keep myself here while I deliver an excellent work and value to the business?
• If you see, in a way this is politics.
• The office politics is not bad!  Everything runs on politics.
• It is the people and management dynamics, and that is how a system functions inherently.  This is my observation and interpretation.
• One should be able to play her or his role in the office politics.
• If ignored or keeping oneself away from the office politics, it projects one as muted with a label tagged -- he or she can be updated later and the job will get done and no need to be here.
• One's office politics is her or his identity, visibility, positioning and influencing

The manager is in the organization not to promote her or his team members.

• But, to ensure the business goals are being met.  
• Taking care of her or his team members in a defined scope is one of the responsibilities for a manager; it is not the only responsibility and not the number one priority responsibility.

Business goals do not have my promotions and growth as their priority goals.  It should be my goals.

Yet, the managers go and fight in a closed room for her or his team members growth, hike and promotion until a role.  You see, not all get promoted in a cycle.  That challenging is the advocacy in that closed room, tables and meetings for the managers.  Give the quantified data to your manager.

Underestimating self and letting that to be used by others in the floor can be lethal to the growth.  

To end here, my growth, hike, promotion and the benefits I need to get is my advocacy and visibility for first.  The manager and peers can be a catalyst here.