How we tested a feature that affected (almost) all parts of GitLab

In a large-scale project, Team Geo at GitLab introduced a Maintenance Mode feature, allowing system administrators to set the platform in a read-only state, which posed significant testing challenges due to its wide-ranging impact. The complexity of testing was compounded by the impossibility of any single team having comprehensive knowledge of the entire system, necessitating a collaborative, crowd-sourced approach to identify critical features for testing across 13 stages. This led to overwhelming participation from product managers and engineers, enriching the test list and documentation, and fostering a collaborative environment that improved future iterations' planning. GitLab's Quad planning process facilitated early collaboration between QA and development teams, highlighting the importance of iterative testing, cross-team contributions, clear communication, and comprehensive documentation as tools for effective development and testing, while keeping discussions focused and engaging more stakeholders proved beneficial in addressing unknowns.

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