QA Testing Process: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
A friendly, practical walkthrough of the QA lifecycle—from requirements to release—complete with checklists, examples, and templates you can reuse.
New to QA and not sure where to start? This step-by-step guide maps the end-to-end testing process in plain language, with checklists and examples you can put to work immediately. You’ll learn how to plan, design, execute, and report testing so your team ships confidently.
For the broader playbook of what “great testing” looks like in 2025 (planning, automation, non-functional, CI/CD), see Software Testing Best Practices: Complete Guide for 2025 .
The QA Process at a Glance (10 Steps)
| # | Step | Goal | Key Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Requirements review | Clarify scope & acceptance criteria | Questions list, clarified ACs |
| 2 | Environment & data readiness | Stable, representative test bed | Access, seeded data, parity check |
| 3 | Test planning & strategy | Approach, risks, entry/exit criteria | One-page test plan |
| 4 | Test design | Decide what to test and how | Test cases, exploratory charters |
| 5 | Functional UI execution | Verify critical user journeys | Pass/fail results, screenshots |
| 6 | API/integration testing | Robust contracts & edge handling | Contract tests, negative cases |
| 7 | Non-functional checks | Fast, safe, accessible | Perf baseline, security smoke, a11y checks |
| 8 | Defect triage & verification | Fix the right issues quickly | Prioritized defects, retest results |
| 9 | Regression & automation | Prevent breakage elsewhere | Suite runs, flake fixes |
| 10 | Reporting & sign-off | Go/No-Go decision | Coverage summary, risk narrative |
Setup: Requirements, Environments & Test Data
Requirements Checklist
- Clear acceptance criteria (happy path + key edge cases)
- Dependencies listed (APIs, services, third parties)
- Known risks called out (payments, PII, compliance)
Environment & Data
- Access confirmed; test accounts ready
- Seeded or anonymized data sets available
- Staging parity check (configs, versions, features)
Tip: Environment/data work is a common “hidden” cost—track it explicitly so future estimates improve.
Test Planning & Strategy
Keep your plan short and useful: scope in/out, risks, device/browser matrix, reporting cadence, and entry/exit criteria. Assign owners for each testing area so nothing is dropped.
What to Include
- Scope per module and platform (web, iOS, Android, API)
- Risk register (impact × likelihood)
- Coverage strategy (scripted vs exploratory)
- Regression approach & automation policy
Estimating Time
Break work into phases—planning, design, env/data, execution (UI + API), non-functional, triage, regression, reporting—then size each. For broader best practices that inform these choices, read Software Testing Best Practices: Complete Guide for 2025 .
Test Design: Cases & Exploratory
Scripted Tests
- Prioritize critical journeys & boundary values
- Link each case to acceptance criteria
- Keep steps concise; reference test data clearly
Exploratory Sessions
- 60–90 minute charters focused on risk areas
- Record notes, heuristics, and findings
- Convert repeat offenders into automated checks
Execution: UI, API & Integration
Run tests and log defects with clear repro steps, actual vs expected results, and artifacts (screenshots, logs). Group failures by module to spot hotspots quickly.
UI Tips
- Focus on critical flows first; then secondary scenarios
- Cover your target device/browser matrix
- Capture visual diffs for complex UI areas
API & Integration Tips
- Validate contracts (schema) at build time
- Test negative cases, retries, and timeouts
- Mock external services where appropriate
Non-Functional Basics (Performance, Security, Accessibility)
Performance
Record a short baseline (p95 response, error rate) and track across builds.
Security
Run a quick authZ/authN smoke; triage dependency/DAST/SAST findings.
Accessibility
Keyboard nav, screen-reader smoke, and contrast checks for key screens (WCAG AA).
Defect Reporting, Triage & Verification
- Daily triage: prioritize by user impact × risk
- Retest fixes; link commits/PRs for traceability
- Flag recurring themes to inform future test design
Watch-out: Don’t let triage work disappear—track hours so you can plan for it next time.
Regression & Automation Maintenance
- Run smoke on every merge, broader suites at milestones
- Quarantine flaky tests; budget 10–25% of execution for maintenance
- Keep selectors stable (data-testids, ARIA) and data idempotent
Reporting & Release Readiness
Share
- Coverage by area & risk
- Open defects (by severity/module)
- Known issues & workarounds
- Go/No-Go recommendation with rationale
Make it Visual
One slide with coverage tiles + traffic light risk is often enough for execs.
UAT & Production Verification
Support business stakeholders during UAT with a short checklist and quick triage loops. After release, run a production smoke for critical paths and monitoring alerts.
Next Steps & Learning Path
- Clone the 10-step process and adapt coverage to your product’s risk profile.
- Create a lightweight test plan; track time by phase to improve estimates.
- Practice writing small, high-value test cases and running exploratory sessions.
- Set up a minimal non-functional baseline early to avoid late surprises.
- Learn best practices that turn good testing into great testing: Software Testing Best Practices: Complete Guide for 2025 .
FAQ
How detailed should beginner test cases be?
Enough that another tester can run them without guessing. Critical flows get more detail; UI polish checks need less.
Do we need automation from day one?
Start small with stable, high-value checks (often API > service > UI). Add more as areas stabilize and regressions appear.
What if requirements change mid-testing?
Update scope and communicate the delta. Re-estimate impacted areas and call out the effect on dates.