QA & SET Pod
Quality Built In, Not Bolted On.
Your engine for confident releases. QA & SET Pods are cross-functional teams of 3-5 quality specialists who build comprehensive testing strategies, automation frameworks, and quality gates. Ship faster with fewer bugs.
Why QA & SET Pods
More Than Just Testers
Traditional outsourcing gives you people. QA & SET Pods give you quality outcomes. Here's why the model works for testing and quality engineering.
Quality Ownership
QA & SET Pods own quality outcomes end-to-end. One team responsible for test strategy, automation, and quality gates.
Specialized Expertise
Automation engineers, performance testers, and QA specialists working together. Deep testing expertise in one team.
Faster Releases
Automated tests catch bugs early and run fast. Ship with confidence, multiple times per day if needed.
Shift-Left Quality
Quality built into your development process, not bolted on at the end. Catch issues before they reach production.
Fast Feedback
Automated tests provide immediate feedback on every commit. Developers know within minutes if something broke.
Fewer Production Bugs
Comprehensive test coverage means fewer bugs escape to production. Lower support costs and happier users.
Team Structure
Who's on a QA & SET Pod
Every QA & SET Pod includes the right mix of testing expertise. No waiting for specialized resources from other teams.
QA Lead / Architect
1Owns testing strategy, framework architecture, and quality standards. Interfaces with your engineering leadership and defines quality gates.
Automation Engineers (SET)
1-2Software Engineers in Test who build and maintain automation frameworks, write automated tests, and integrate testing into CI/CD pipelines.
Manual QA Specialists
0-2Exploratory testing experts who find edge cases automation misses. Handle complex user flows, usability testing, and release validation.
Performance Tester
0-1Specializes in load testing, performance benchmarking, and identifying bottlenecks. Added for performance-critical applications.
Team size: 3-5 specialists — We right-size the Pod based on your application complexity and testing needs.
Capabilities
What QA & SET Pods Deliver
From test automation to performance testing to quality transformation—QA & SET Pods handle the full spectrum of quality engineering.
Test Automation Frameworks
Build scalable, maintainable test automation frameworks tailored to your stack. Page Object Model, custom utilities, and reusable components.
API & Integration Testing
Comprehensive API test suites with Postman, REST Assured, or custom frameworks. Contract testing, schema validation, and integration verification.
UI/E2E Test Automation
End-to-end test automation with Playwright, Cypress, or Selenium. Cross-browser testing, visual regression, and user journey validation.
Performance & Load Testing
Load testing with k6, JMeter, or Gatling. Establish baselines, identify bottlenecks, and catch performance regressions before production.
Security Testing
SAST/DAST integration, vulnerability scanning, and security-focused test cases. Shift-left security testing in your CI/CD pipeline.
Mobile App Testing
iOS and Android test automation with Appium or Detox. Device farms, real device testing, and mobile-specific quality assurance.
Quality Process Transformation
Transform manual testing into automated, scalable quality practices. Test strategy, process improvement, and team enablement.
Quality Metrics & Dashboards
Real-time quality dashboards with coverage, pass rates, defect trends, and release readiness. Data-driven quality decisions.
Tech Stack
Testing Technologies We Work With
QA & SET Pods are matched to your application stack. Here's our core expertise—we adapt to your testing needs.
E2E & UI Testing
Unit & Integration
API Testing
Performance Testing
Mobile Testing
CI/CD Integration
Don't see your testing stack? Let's discuss your requirements
Deliverables
What You Get from a QA & SET Pod
Beyond test cases—QA & SET Pods deliver comprehensive quality infrastructure with automation, metrics, and CI/CD integration.
Automated Test Suites
Comprehensive test suites covering unit, integration, E2E, and API testing. Maintainable, well-documented, and integrated with CI/CD.
Test Coverage Reports
Detailed coverage reports showing what's tested and what's not. Code coverage, feature coverage, and risk-based coverage analysis.
Performance Benchmarks
Baseline performance metrics, load test results, and performance regression detection. Know your system's limits.
Quality Metrics Dashboards
Real-time dashboards showing test pass rates, defect trends, coverage metrics, and release readiness indicators.
Testing Strategy Documentation
Comprehensive testing strategy, test plans, and runbooks. Your team can understand and extend the testing approach.
CI/CD Pipeline Integration
Tests integrated into your deployment pipeline with quality gates, parallel execution, and fast feedback loops.
How It Works
From Assessment to Quality Confidence
Getting a productive QA & SET Pod is faster than you think. Here's what the journey looks like.
Discovery & Assessment
We understand your application, existing test coverage, quality pain points, and goals. Together we define the testing strategy and priorities.
Team Formation
We assemble your QA & SET Pod with engineers matched to your tech stack, testing needs, and quality goals.
Framework Setup
Pod sets up test automation frameworks, integrates with CI/CD, and establishes initial test infrastructure and quality gates.
Test Development
Using SPARK™ framework, your Pod develops automated tests, improves coverage, and delivers quality improvements every sprint.
Continuous Improvement
Regular quality reviews, coverage expansion, and process refinement. Your testing capability evolves with your product.
3-5
Specialists per Pod
80%+
Test coverage target
2-3
Weeks to productive
10x
Faster than manual testing
Compare Options
QA & SET Pod vs. Hiring QA Engineers
Understanding the differences helps you choose the right model for your quality needs.
Individual QA Engineers
Skilled engineers who work under your direct management. You're responsible for coordination, defining test strategy, and coverage across testing types.
- You manage individuals directly
- You define testing strategy and standards
- Coverage gaps in specialized areas (performance, security)
- 4-8 week ramp-up typical
- You handle test infrastructure setup
QA & SET Pod
A cross-functional team that owns quality outcomes end-to-end. Automation, performance, and manual testing expertise in one accountable unit.
- Team owns quality outcomes and delivery
- Built-in testing strategy and standards
- SPARK™ framework included
- 2-3 week ramp-up
- We handle test infrastructure and CI/CD integration
Not sure which is right? Read our detailed comparison
Ready to Build Your QA & SET Pod?
Tell us about your application and quality goals. We'll help you design the right QA & SET Pod configuration and get you started in as little as 2 weeks.
FAQs
QA & SET Pod: Common Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about QA & SET Pods and how they work.
What is a QA & SET Pod?
A QA & SET Pod is a cross-functional team of 3-5 quality engineering specialists focused on test automation, quality assurance, and testing strategy. It includes QA leads, automation engineers (SET), manual QA specialists, and performance testers. The Pod owns your quality outcomes end-to-end—building automation frameworks, test suites, and quality gates that give you confidence to ship.
What can a QA & SET Pod build?
QA & SET Pods build test automation frameworks, automated test suites (unit, integration, E2E), API testing infrastructure, performance and load testing systems, mobile app testing automation, security testing pipelines, and quality metrics dashboards. They also transform manual testing processes into automated, scalable quality practices.
What technologies does a QA & SET Pod work with?
QA & SET Pods work with Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, Jest, React Testing Library for UI/E2E testing; Postman, REST Assured for API testing; k6, JMeter, Gatling for performance testing; Appium for mobile testing; and integrate with CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and GitLab CI. We match the testing stack to your application stack.
How is a QA Pod different from hiring QA engineers?
When you hire individual QA engineers, you manage coordination, define testing strategy, and may lack coverage in specialized areas like performance or security testing. A QA & SET Pod is a complete quality delivery unit with built-in leadership, specialized roles, and proven practices. The Pod owns quality outcomes, not just test execution.
Can a QA Pod work with our existing development team?
Absolutely. QA & SET Pods are designed to integrate with your existing development workflow. They participate in sprint planning, write tests alongside feature development, and provide quality feedback in code reviews. They can work embedded with your Feature Pods or as a shared quality service across multiple teams.
How fast can a QA & SET Pod start delivering?
QA & SET Pods typically ramp up in 2-3 weeks. Week 1 covers discovery, understanding your application, and team formation. Weeks 2-3 involve setting up test infrastructure and initial automation. By week 4, most Pods are delivering automated test coverage and quality improvements.
What test coverage targets does a QA Pod aim for?
We typically target 80%+ automated test coverage for critical paths and business logic. However, we focus on meaningful coverage—testing what matters—rather than vanity metrics. We'll work with you to define coverage targets based on risk, complexity, and business criticality.
Can a QA Pod help with performance testing?
Yes. Performance testing is a core capability. QA & SET Pods can set up load testing infrastructure using k6, JMeter, or Gatling; establish performance baselines; create automated performance regression tests; and identify bottlenecks before they impact production users.
Do you provide security testing?
Yes, we include security testing capabilities. This includes SAST/DAST integration, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing coordination, and security-focused test cases. For deep security audits, we can augment with specialized security engineers or recommend partners.
What deliverables does a QA Pod provide?
QA & SET Pods deliver automated test suites, test coverage reports, performance benchmarks and reports, quality metrics dashboards, testing strategy documentation, CI/CD pipeline integration, and ongoing quality insights. Everything is documented and transferable.
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