Mandela Effect
How does the Mandela Effect impact QA?
Have you heard of the Mandela Effect?
Here's a brief description:
This is a "False Memory Phenomenon" where many people believe in a false memory. For example, Frona Broome had a false memory that Nelson Mandela died in the 1980s. That thought was shared by thousands of other people.
So how's does this relate to QA activities?
In release testing, people may have a false memory of features being tested before signing off on the current release. Everyone may assume that a feature was tested because it always is.
Note: This could also be true with automation. A feature that people may think is covered by automation is in fact still in development.
Value of Having a Checklist
This is why having a product-related checklist is critical to ensuring that all critical paths are tested. Don't just assume that someone else has tested it - find out by asking!
Reset the checklist for every release - that way you can ensure that critical features have been touched by manual or automation.