I have spent some time trying to simplify the release process. For a variety of reasons, we can only release on Thursdays. The code is "frozen" on Tuesday before it can be released on Thursday. But we sometimes squeeze in a quick fix on Wednesday as well.
The question, is when should QA test the code?
Here is what I have seen happen:
- Dev writes code and sends it to QA.
- QA finds problems, sends it back to the Dev.
- Dev fixes and sends it back to QA.
I have seen a Dev fix their code on Tuesday, and then QA comes back on Wednesday with problems, when the code should have been frozen anyway.
I am looking, what should be the best solution here.
We have several problems going on at once:
- Developers test on the same server as QA tests. I am working to switch developers to a separate Dev server, but it is a long work in progress.
- We don't have an easy way to revert code back from the QA server. It is easier to build revisions than revert changes. We can try to revert code more, but it will require a culture change.
- QA don't really have a schedule when they are supposed to do functional testing vs regression testing.
I don't know what is the best way to proceed forward. Thus far, I haven't thought too much about the QA because I was focused more on getting releases out. Now that releasing is more simplified, that we can potentially do weekly releases, I am trying to see how we should proceed with the testing process.
What's on the test env? In-dev? Approved changes that will go through QA for release? Release-ready changes?
What does freeze consequently mean? Freeze development? Freeze what you consider for a release? Freeze the release?
If you're developing on the test env with QA testing changes for approval to a release you can't "freeze" what you still have to test. You need a inclusion-freeze to have time for QA testing and approval, and then a cleanup and factual freeze of what a release includes.
Once a release is factually frozen you either do the release or you don't. If an issue is found big enough to not make that release, you make a new release or wait a week. Smaller issues can live on prod for a week - or be fixed earlier through patch releases if you do those.