Testing-Risk-Management

Risk Type	Risk Level (High, Medium, Low)
Bad planning
Bad Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria changes
Staff (vacation, day offs)
Integration risks
Third party services
Technical risks
Performance and Load risks
Knowledge
Productivity
Time
Work Load
Priority changes
Bad design

🎩1. changing requirements and priorities

A lot of changes happen during a project - concepts, requirements, number of tasks in a sprint, priorities. Sometimes the client may change their mind when the task is already half done - this will increase the cost of the project.

🔴 Consequences

• Overloaded (or under-prioritised) sprints,

• abandoned incomplete tasks,

• complete or partial redesign of the application,

• schedule changes,

• unfinished or stretched sprints,

• sudden need to add more people to the team.

✅ Solution

When introducing a change, you must first analyse how it will affect the current state of the project, how much effort it will require and whether there is a risk of delay. Through analysis, you will be able to intelligently divide responsibilities, make changes to priorities and provide the client with accurate information about what can (or cannot) be accomplished.

An unresponsive response will then mean your unconditional acceptance of those or other changes. This is a common practice in the software development process. That is why it is very important for all project participants to realise the consequences of changes and to make some compromises together if they are necessary.

👥 2. Lack of involvement

Involvement of all team members is a prerequisite for the success of every project. Therefore, it is very important that everyone involved in the process is committed to a common goal, understands their role and supports other team members.

The word "team" refers to every member of the project - client, project managers, developers, testers, designers.

🔴 Consequences

• delays in deadlines,

• negative impact on motivation of other team members.

✅ Solution

Pay attention to other team members and try to understand what can increase their engagement. They should be in good spirits, but at the same time, should be able to focus on their work. Give them opportunities for personal growth, talk to them and praise them. Make sure you give them full information about projects so they can feel like an important part of something bigger.

👥 3. Lack of communication

Communication is essential to work effectively during a software development project. What are the consequences of poor communication?

🔴 Consequences

• Knowledge gaps,

• double-tasking,

• reduced productivity.

✅ Solution

Regular meetings of all team members for the sake of completing tasks and sharing knowledge exist as part of the project. Meetings should be held in a healthy atmosphere where everyone has a chance to speak up. Never leave someone's question unanswered. If you don't know how to answer, let the person know that you will try to find the answer and come back with it later.

It is very important that everyone understands their role in the project. Meeting in a non-work environment can also have a positive effect on team spirit.

🔧🎩 4. Poor documentation

What is project documentation? A product with minimal functionality (MVP), task descriptions in JIRA, and a dedicated project space in Confluence are all critical to the success of a project.

🔴 Consequences

• chaos,

• team wasting time with repetitive questions regarding basic project information,

• lack of good benchmarks for team members to use both during and after the project,

• inadequate knowledge of team members joining the project halfway through.

✅ Solution

Even minimal project documentation can play a big role in preventing consequences.

According to Agile best practices, "working software is more important than detailed documentation." However, don't assume documentation is an unimportant element. So what is the best way to address this issue?

Set aside some time to write documentation from the beginning. That way, you won't have any excuses. Use tools like JIRA, Confluence or QA Touch - they really make the job easier. There are also many more specialised tools to help you write documentation for PPI and other project reports. Determine what information needs to be available at all times. A good place to store it is Confluence. This is a system that allows you to find all the basic project documentation, team members, their roles and other important information on project properties, its environment, user descriptions and feature list.

Always use special conventions for labelling and describing tasks. Remember, the documentation should not be voluminous. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive description of the project in simple and understandable language.

👥5. Unplanned absence of a team member

Every unplanned absence of a team member is cause for concern. In autumn and winter, the chances of getting sick increase significantly.

🔴 Consequences

• disorganisation,

• delays in the completion of tasks,

• lack of knowledge about the project if the person in question was a key member of the team (again, the importance of good documentation becomes obvious!),

• demotivation of the team.

✅ Solution

It is important that all team members have the same foundational knowledge of the project. Depending on how long an employee has been absent and what stage the project is at, the project manager should decide whether a replacement is needed. It will be easier for a newcomer to get started if they are shared with the project and provided with documentation.

🎩6. Poor communication with the product manager

Is the product manager not responding? Have you already tried contacting him/her several times? Most likely the product manager is on holiday but hasn't bothered to notify other team members.

🔴 Consequences

• Project delays due to product manager's silence,

• demotivating other team members.

✅ Solution

Show the product manager how important it is for you to maintain a good relationship with him/her from the very first meeting. Outline which decisions should always be made jointly and which should be made by developers/testers independently. When you send a request message to the product manager, outline why a delay in responding could cause problems (e.g. difficulty finishing on time). If none of the ways to reach the product manager work, the project manager should take steps to improve communication with the customer.

👥7. Failure to deliver a project on time

I can't think of any project absolutely without delays 😀 Changes in requirements during implementation, poorly estimated tasks, failed testing, unplanned absence, poor communication with the customer, etc. Most of these problems can be prevented with good planning. Therefore, you should take these risks into consideration from the beginning.

🔴 Consequences

• project delays,

• an unfinished task that interferes with other tasks,

• customer dissatisfaction,

• poor working atmosphere.

✅ Solution

When planning project and/or sprint deadlines, take all factors into consideration. Analyse possible risks and inform the client about them. Always allocate tasks based on the number of available team members and their skills, strengths and weaknesses. Always report on your progress and solve problems during daily planning meetings. This is the best way of quality control in software development.

If the deadline cannot be met, you should notify the client as soon as possible. A good way to handle everything is to divide one big task into several smaller ones. It is better to complete a couple of small tasks than nothing at all. For the client, this will also be an indicator of the team's engagement.