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startups

startups

Lessons from building QA and automation in fast-moving startups — lean systems, high-trust teams, and scaling quality without slowing down.

From Ego to Execution: Why Founders Must Hire People Smarter Than Themselves

From Ego to Execution: Why Founders Must Hire People Smarter Than Themselves

Startups live and die on execution. Ideas, markets, and timing matter, but in the end it comes down to whether the right people are doing the right work at the right time. Yet over and over, I see one pattern repeat: headstrong founders and cofounders who refuse to trust anyone

Why Quality Engineering Fails in Startups (And How to Fix It)

Why Quality Engineering Fails in Startups (And How to Fix It)

Every founder loves to talk about speed. “Move fast.” “Ship before you’re ready.” “Break things and fix later.” That mindset can build early traction. But when it comes to scaling a product that real customers depend on, it’s also the mindset that silently kills startups. The failure point

“Ready for Test” Isn’t the Problem — But How You Use It Might Be

“Ready for Test” Isn’t the Problem — But How You Use It Might Be

In the age of DevOps and CI/CD, does the "Ready for Test" status still belong in your workflow? The answer isn’t black and white. “Ready for Test” — three words that spark heated debates in QA circles. Some say it undermines shift-left. Others say it creates silos.

The Startup QA/QE Manifesto: From Zero to Scaled Quality in 3 Years

The Startup QA/QE Manifesto: From Zero to Scaled Quality in 3 Years

When I join or advise a startup, I rarely walk into a clean testing setup. Most of the time, there’s no QA. No test cases. No automation. Just engineers pushing code to production and praying it works. This Article is Part of the Startup QA Series This post is

The QA/QE Maturity Model for Startups: From Idea to IPO

The QA/QE Maturity Model for Startups: From Idea to IPO

What does Quality look like when you're building fast, scaling hard, and surviving on ramen and round-the-clock deploys? Here’s your definitive QA/QE roadmap - designed for startups at every stage, from scrappy pre-seed prototypes to IPO-ready systems. This Article is Part of the Startup QA Series

Shift Left Testing: The Complete Roadmap (With Tools, Examples & Milestones)

Shift Left Testing: The Complete Roadmap (With Tools, Examples & Milestones)

What Is Shift Left Testing? Shift left testing is a modern software development practice where testing activities start early and happen often throughout the development lifecycle. It moves testing “left” on the timeline—closer to requirements, design, and early coding—so bugs are caught before they cause costly delays. Think

The Startup QA Starter Kit: How to Build Confidence Without Breaking the Bank

The Startup QA Starter Kit: How to Build Confidence Without Breaking the Bank

You just launched a product. You're shipping fast. You're under pressure to prove traction. But every week, bugs are slipping into prod. And your users? They’re starting to notice. 📚 This Article is Part of the Startup QA Series This is the first post in a