QA sign-off is not a guarantee
QA sign-off should communicate the quality evidence and remaining risk. It should not imply that no unknown defects exist.
Evaluate release evidence
- Critical regression
- Impacted functionality
- Open defects
- Untested scope
- Known limitations
- Environment constraints
- Operational readiness
- Rollback/monitoring
Use explicit recommendation states
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Recommended | Evidence supports release within agreed criteria. |
| Recommended with conditions | Release is supportable with explicit mitigations. |
| Not recommended | Material quality risk remains. |
| Unable to recommend | Evidence is insufficient. |
Who owns the final decision?
QA may own the quality recommendation without owning the final business release decision. The accountable release authority should knowingly accept any residual risk.
AskAQA recommendation
Recommendation
Sign off only when you can clearly state what was validated, what remains uncertain, and why the remaining risk is acceptable or not acceptable.