How mature is your quality assurance really?

In day-to-day work it is hard to assess your own setup neutrally. The Quality Health Check delivers a focused outside view on requirements, test strategy, automation, releases, and governance — with maturity levels per dimension and a prioritised 30/60/90-day roadmap.

Request a Health Check
Why a QA Health Check

Four reasons to take the time.

01

Neutral outside view

In three weeks, what has become invisible in everyday work becomes visible. An experienced outside perspective sees patterns that everyday routine blinds you to.

02

Maturity per dimension

Requirements, test strategy, automation, releases, governance, and culture are scored on a three-level scale and reasoned with substance.

03

Prioritised action catalog

Quick wins and strategic levers are listed and prioritised separately — so it is clear what pays off immediately and what takes effect over time.

04

30/60/90-day roadmap

Each action carries an owner, a date, and a measurable goal, so rollout stays plannable and progress stays checkable.

Assessment dimensions

Six perspectives, one overall picture.

// 01

Test strategy & test management

Tests that nobody questions any more rarely cover what really matters for the business. Typical findings: strategy on paper instead of in everyday work, missing risk prioritisation, regression suites growing unchecked, unstructured or unmethodical test management. We make the gaps between plan and day-to-day visible.

// 02

Requirements & test-case quality

Vague requirements and untended test cases let even a well-built pipeline run past the business. Typical findings: acceptance criteria like "the system should be performant", test cases only the original author understands, redundant test-case piles, requirements without a documented test. We surface obvious coverage gaps and which test cases need maintenance.

// 03

Test automation & CI/CD

Automation tips into burden when pipelines stay quietly red and maintenance effort eats the value. Typical findings: flaky tests masked with retries, many surface tests but little assurance for critical business processes, runtimes so long nobody waits for feedback, orphaned tests without ownership. We identify which tests deliver trust and which only deliver effort.

// 04

Defect, change & release processes

Fixing prioritised bugs takes forever, release sign-offs run on shaky facts? Then defect and release management lacks discipline. Typical findings: prio bugs stuck for weeks, severity scoring varies between teams, fixes return because reproduction is missing, release sign-off without objective acceptance criteria. We pinpoint the gap between process on paper and lived practice.

// 05

Governance, KPIs & reporting

Governance loses its steering effect where KPIs flash red and nobody reacts. Typical findings: reporting as a graveyard of numbers, isolated tool worlds without data linkage, snapshots instead of recognisable trends, coverage as an end in itself. We show where KPIs steer and where they are just effort.

// 06

Team, culture & change readiness

Methodology and mindset decide whether change takes effect or fades. Typical findings: half-hearted agility, sluggish V-model despite a fast release cadence, missing agile understanding in the team, "we have always done it like that" as an optimisation brake, no room for learning from incidents. We name what holds back change in everyday work.

Process

From kick-off to action catalog.

01
Week 1
Document review
Insight into requirements, test concepts, test plans, test cases, defects, and reports. System understanding, building a fact base.
02
Week 2
Interviews
Detailed feedback from business units and involved stakeholders — product, development, test, optionally operations.
03
Week 3
Analysis & result
Maturity scoring per dimension, prioritised action catalog, 30/60/90-day roadmap, and result presentation with discussion space.

Scalable — for complex setups or serious gaps the format extends modularly into a full audit.

Method toolkit

What we work with.

Maturity model

Pragmatic, leaning on TMMi and TPI — without certification ballast.

Interview guide

Structured questionnaires per role, with room for open observations.

Document checklists

Review grids for requirements, test plans, defect records, and release notes.

Process heatmaps

Visualise breaks and double work in the chain Req → Test → Release.

KPI alignment

Which KPIs actually steer — and which are just measured.

30/60/90 roadmap

Template for actions with owner, date, and measurable goal per row.

Questions

What we are often asked.

Do I need the Health Check if we are already TMMi- or ISO-certified?

Certification reviews structures on paper. The Health Check reviews lived practice. The two do not exclude each other — usually they complement each other.

How deep do you really get in three weeks?

Deep enough for a defensible finding with clear priorities. Not deep enough for a complete audit. If you need that, there is the modular full audit.

What happens after the result presentation?

You receive the action catalog and decide how far we go together. We can roll out the roadmap, take on partial topics, accompany your team — or take our leave here.

Remote or on site?

Both work. Interviews run well remotely from experience, document review anyway. On-site makes sense when culture and communication flow are a focus, or when complex test environments and system infrastructure become audit-relevant.

What does it cost — and what does doing nothing cost?

The Health Check sits in the low five-figure range, depending on project complexity and scope. The more relevant number is usually the other one: a single botched release regularly costs teams more than the entire audit.

Clarity on your QA maturity. In three weeks.

Scorecard per dimension. Prioritised action catalog. 30/60/90-day roadmap with owners and measurable goals.

Start a Health Check
info@qct.de · +49 (2826) 999 3201
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