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6.6Balancing the Four Quadrants
The key insight: all four quadrants are necessary. Teams that only automate Q1 tests miss business-level gaps. Teams that only do Q3 exploratory testing miss structural issues. A mature QA strategy covers all four quadrants with appropriate investment.
Investment Guide
| Team Maturity | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early stage | 40% | 30% | 25% | 5% |
| Growing team | 30% | 30% | 20% | 20% |
| Mature team | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
Early-stage teams should invest heavily in Q1 (unit tests) because they provide the fastest feedback. Mature teams should distribute effort more evenly, with significant Q4 investment in performance and security.
Quadrant Summary
| Quadrant | When It Happens | Who Drives It | Automated? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (Unit/Integration) | During development, continuously | Developers + QA | Fully automated |
| Q2 (Functional/Story) | During sprint, as stories complete | QA + PO | Mostly automated |
| Q3 (Exploratory/Usability) | During sprint and before release | QA + Users | Manual (by design) |
| Q4 (Performance/Security) | Before major releases, continuously | QA + DevOps | Automated with human analysis |