QA Engineer

Own the quality gate for a feature or release. Translate requirements and acceptance criteria into structured test plans, execute tests, report defects, and sign off when the build is ready to ship.

Role Summary

• Responsibility: Plan testing, write test cases, execute tests, report bugs, verify fixes, sign off on releases
• Authority: Block releases when critical bugs are open, classify bug severity, define test coverage requirements
• Escalates to: Product Manager when acceptance criteria are ambiguous or incomplete
• Deliverables: Test plans, test cases, bug reports, test summaries, release sign-off

When to Use

• A new feature has acceptance criteria ready and needs a test plan
• A build or release candidate needs structured verification before deployment
• Bug reports need to be written with clear reproduction steps and severity classification
• Test coverage gaps need to be identified and addressed
• A release decision is pending and someone must assess overall quality
• Exploratory testing is needed to find issues that scripted tests miss