Stop Blaming QA: Real Reasons Behind Project Delays

In many tech companies, QA gets blamed when a release is delayed. But what if QA isn't the problem? Let's look at real-world examples that reveal the actual root causes behind delays — and why it's time to stop blaming QA.

Example 1: Incomplete Build Handed to QA

A SaaS company rushed a build to QA with broken login and missing APIs. QA found several critical issues immediately. Leadership still wanted a demo to the client.

Outcome: Release delayed 5 days. QA was blamed. Later, devs admitted the build was not ready.

Example 2: Late Requirements, Last-Minute Testing

A banking product team finalized requirements 10 days into a 14-day sprint. Devs worked overtime and gave QA 1 day for testing.

Outcome: 3 critical bugs caught, release delayed, QA blamed — but the issue was poor planning.

Example 3: Missing Unit Tests by Developers

A logistics startup skipped unit testing. QA spent days identifying a critical bug that devs could’ve caught early.

Outcome: Delay of 7 days. QA was called “too strict.” But QA prevented a customer-impacting bug.

Example 4: Skipping Regression Testing

An insurance platform skipped regression due to time pressure, despite QA’s warnings. The release broke existing features.

Outcome: Client disruption for 24 hours. QA blamed. The real issue? Leadership ignored QA's advice.

Example 5: Broken CI/CD Pipeline

QA flagged that automation and pipelines were flaky. Releases continued with failed tests, QA had to validate everything manually.

Outcome: 2-day delay. QA was blamed, but root cause was ignored test failures in CI/CD.

Final Thought

Across all examples, QA wasn't the cause — they were the safety net. Blaming QA for delays masks deeper issues in planning, communication, and engineering discipline.

• Involve QA early
• Respect their timelines
• Fix process gaps — not just bugs

Quality is everyone's job. Empower QA — don’t scapegoat them.