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9.4What Quality Coaches Do
Upstream Activities (Before Code Is Written)
| Activity | Impact |
|---|---|
| Review requirements for testability | Catches ambiguous and untestable requirements |
| Three amigos sessions | Aligns team on expected behavior and edge cases |
| Define acceptance criteria | Creates clear, testable "done" criteria |
| Design test strategy for upcoming features | Ensures test infrastructure is ready when code is |
| Advocate for quality standards (DoD, coding standards) | Sets the quality bar for the team |
During Development
| Activity | Impact |
|---|---|
| Review PRs for testability | Catches missing test hooks, untested paths |
| Pair test with developers | Finds bugs during implementation, not after |
| Write and maintain automated tests | Builds the safety net |
| Monitor CI pipeline health | Keeps the feedback loop fast and reliable |
After Development
| Activity | Impact |
|---|---|
| Exploratory testing | Finds issues automation misses |
| Quality reporting | Makes quality visible to stakeholders |
| Retrospective contributions | Drives continuous quality improvement |
| Mentor developers on testing | Multiplies quality expertise across the team |