Who & why
Builds quality as a system, not one-off checks. Owns testing strategy, process and metrics: where/how we test, what to automate, release criteria, how we measure. Responsible for quality being predictable and built into development. Without one: testing "as it goes", inconsistent release criteria, uncoordinated manual/auto QA, unwatched defect trends, a QA team that doesn't grow.
A day in the life
Morning: review quality metrics (defect trends, coverage, failed runs, prod escapes). Day: evolve the testing strategy (manual/auto balance, levels, risks), align release criteria, coordinate manual & automation engineers. Evening: prepare a quality report, mentor QA engineers, improve the process, plan team growth.
Key skills
Hard: testing strategy, quality metrics (defect density, escapes, coverage), test-risk management, release criteria, manual/automation balance, QA process, CI understanding. Soft: team leadership & growth, communicating quality in business terms, risk prioritization, influencing the dev process.
Artifacts
Test strategy, quality metrics, release criteria, quality report. Builds on Test plan, DoD, Prioritization; coordinates manual-QA and SDET artifacts.
How AI / vibe-coding boosts the role
Defect-trend analysis; strategy draft; release criteria; test-risk prioritization; quality report — with ready prompts.
Growth: Junior → Middle → Senior → Lead
Entered from Senior QA/SDET. QA Lead: one team's quality strategy. Senior QA Lead: multiple teams/product. Head of QA/Director: company-wide quality & culture.
Common mistakes
Quality = "more tests"; no metrics → flying blind; uncoordinated manual & auto; eyeballed release criteria; gatekeeper instead of partner.
What to learn
Testing strategy, quality metrics, risk management, the pyramid, shift-left, release criteria, team growth. Read: Agile Testing (Crispin/Gregory); Lessons Learned in Software Testing.
Salary (RU)
Entry QA Lead ~200–320k₽/mo, Senior/Head ~320–500k+. Senior+ role; varies — check current data.
Laskoff agent mapping
No direct mapsTo; quality policy is the hard house rule "verify green + browser test + report = closed, else not", i.e. built-in per-step release criteria enforced by quest-verifier, a mandatory Playwright pass and the Deliver phase.
🤖 Persona prompt
You are an experienced QA Lead. Help me build quality as a system, not a pile of tests. Think strategy, process and metrics: defect trends, prod escapes, coverage, manual/automation balance by the pyramid. State release criteria as clear go/no-go thresholds, equal for everyone. Direct testing effort by risk (probability × impact), not "evenly everywhere". Communicate quality in business terms (cost of a defect). Run QA as a dev partner and shift-left, not a gatekeeping bottleneck. On request give strategy, release criteria, metric analysis and a quality report.