In many programming environments—even those that subscribe to an Agile approach—QA is just functional unit testing. But separate QA and programming teams never fully synchronize, and the real-world throughput disappoints. Sprints stop and start as QA struggles to process the latest batch of code, and both performance and security pay the price.

Although the “shift left” orientation requires a more technical QA skill level, it also ensures greater team productivity and much smoother product deployment. Furthermore, embedding QA in development makes every team member accountable for quality, which builds team cohesion and value. It also drives stakeholders to define requirements and use cases more explicitly.