QA Testing Separation of Duties
The release was ready. The code had passed every test. Yet one question remained: who signs off, and who verifies? This is the heart of QA testing separation of duties.
Separation of duties (SoD) in QA testing is a control. It ensures no single person controls the full process from writing the code to approving its release. One person develops. Another reviews. A third runs the final tests. This limits risk, catches errors, and prevents conflicts of interest.
Modern software delivery moves fast. Speed can tempt teams to loosen checks. That is a mistake. Without separation of duties, defects move unchecked into production. The same engineer who wrote the code might miss their own mistakes. The same tester who built automated scripts might overlook false positives.
Implementing SoD in QA means defining roles and boundaries. Developers should not approve their own deployments. Testers should not be the only ones to review test results. Code review, QA execution, and release approval must be independent steps. For regulated industries, this is not only best practice—it is required.
Effective SoD in QA testing includes:
- Automated pipelines that enforce role-based permissions
- Independent test environments separate from development systems
- Review logs that document who performed each action
- Verification steps owned by someone other than the author of the change
The challenge is to keep the process efficient while enforcing separation. CI/CD tools can embed checks without slowing down delivery. Automation handles repetitive tasks, but responsibility remains human. When combined with separation of duties, automation reduces error risk while keeping accountability clear.
Strong SoD does more than protect against mistakes—it builds trust. Leadership can see clear audit trails. Teams know every change was tested and verified by different hands. Customers receive more stable releases.
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