Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
QA Personnel
Begin this section by describing the organizational structure of the QA team. Show
who the front-line QA engineers work for and who the head of QA reports to. Identify
at which level the QA reporting chain is independent from the person in charge of the
game development staff. This helps establish a path for escalating QA issues and iden-
tifies which key relationships should be nurtured and maintained during the project.
A good rapport between the QA manager and the development director will have a
positive effect on both the QA staff and the development staff.
Describe the primary role of each person on the QA team for this project. List what
kinds of activities each of them will be involved in. Be as specific as possible. If a person
is going to be responsible for auditing the user interface screens against the company's
UI standards, then say that. If another person is going to take samples of code and
check them with a static code analysis tool, then say that. Use a list or a table to record
this information.
Strictly speaking, QA and testing are separate, distinct functions. QA is more con-
cerned with auditing, tracking, and reporting, whereas testing is about the develop-
ment and execution of tests in the relentless pursuit of finding operational defects in
the game. However, depending on the size and skills of your game project team, you
may not have separate QA and test teams. It's still best to keep those two plans sepa-
rate even if some or all of the same people are involved in both kinds of work.
Standards
Two types of standards should be addressed in this section: product standards and
process standards. Product standards apply to the function of things that are pro-
duced as part of the game project. This includes code, graphics, printed materials, and
so on. Process standards apply to the way things are produced. This includes file naming
standards, code formatting standards, and maintenance of evolving project documents
such as the technical design document. Document all of the standards that apply as
well as which items they apply to. Then describe how the QA staff will monitor them
and follow up on any discrepancies.
Reviews and Audits
The kinds of reviews performed by QA are not the same as developers or testers would
do for code or test designs. A QA review is usually done by a single QA engineer who
evaluates a work product or ongoing process against some kind of reference such as a
checklist or standard. QA reviews and audits span all phases and groups within the
game project.
