qa-cycle

A contract-first QA pipeline defines acceptance criteria upfront to prevent scope creep, then verifies each development step microscopically before a full final check. This ensures deliverables meet expectations and reduces the risk of delivering faulty software.

Implement a 3-phase quality assurance process by sequentially executing contract definition, micro-verification of individual steps, and full-verification. This structured approach catches issues early and ensures compliance with defined acceptance criteria across all development stages.

Yes, executing the QA cycle requires access to an orchestrator and the qa-evidence system within P2-hippocampus. These dependencies are necessary to manage the pipeline and verify compliance with the defined acceptance criteria.

Micro-QA verifies each individual step of the development process to catch issues early, whereas full-QA conducts a comprehensive final check before delivery. Both phases ensure the software meets the upfront contract criteria across different stages.

The best way to prevent scope creep during software quality assurance is adopting a contract-first approach. By defining acceptance criteria upfront before development begins, you ensure deliverables strictly meet expectations without uncontrolled expansion.