Here’s a quick story I think most testers will recognize.
A colleague of mine was released from a project.
Officially, his allocation ended on 1st December.
In reality, he stayed until around the 10th, wrapping up loose ends and handing over knowledge—while already ramping up on a new assignment.
Then came the surprise.
Out of nowhere, his old project manager sent an email.
Not private.
CC’d to multiple people.
The message?
All the testing he had done was “useless.”
The reason given was even worse.
The PM claimed the testing didn’t meet the new requirements.
These requirements had never been communicated earlier.
Originally, the ask was simple:
- Verify that files were migrated successfully
- Do not validate file content
Now the expectation had magically changed:
- Validate the content of the migrated files as well
Classic scope shift. Zero acknowledgement.
My colleague’s first instinct was to retest everything.
That would have been a mistake.
Why?
Because retesting would silently accept the blame.
The real lesson here is simple and brutal:
- Always document what you were asked to test
- Keep written proof of scope and sign-offs
When requirements change later, documentation is the only thing that protects QA from being blamed.
So take this as a reminder.
Document everything.
Because the next “suprise” might have your name on it.