Testing and quality assurance for start-ups

How start-ups approach software quality depends not only on the age of the company, but also on its orientation. Initially, the focus is on fast delivery and flexible development; classically formalized test processes are often still lacking. Nevertheless, awareness of quality and systematic testing is widespread in both young and established companies today and is a key success factor.

Podcast Episode: Testing and quality assurance for start-ups

In this episode, I talk to Daniel Krauss from Flix and Florian Fieber about quality and testing in startups. We talk about how B2C is closer to the customer than B2B, how teams in startups deliver earlier and how failures are more expensive than good testing. Coverage helps, but is not the goal. At Flix, the agile tester is part of the team, close to product owners and user feedback. We talk about professionalization, learning without dogma and how culture helps.

"Test coverage is not an end in itself. The question is: What do I want to achieve with it?" - Daniel Krauss

As Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief HR Officer (CHRO) at Flix, Daniel Krauss is responsible for the company's technology and human resources. Together with his co-founders, he has developed Flix into an international transportation service provider. Daniel is also an investor and advisory board member in companies such as Babyone, UNITY and GWF. He is convinced that education, entrepreneurship and innovation can significantly advance society.

Florian Fieber studied Media Informatics and Information Systems, after which he worked as a software developer and research assistant. His area of expertise today covers all aspects of quality assurance in the software lifecycle, with a focus on test management and process improvement. Since 2018, he has been active in the German Testing Board e.V. (GTB), where he is, among other things, head of the Acceptance Testing working group and has served as chairman of the GTB since 2022.

Highlights der Episode

• Failures cost more than good testing
• Coverage helps as a metric and not as a goal
• The agile tester works in a team close to the product
• AI tools accelerate, code generation remains risky
• ISTQB methods offer reliable guard rails

Quality in startups: learning pains, customer focus and the role of testing

Startups face many challenges when developing their first software products. How is quality created in young companies in the first place? What role does testing play? And how does this change with growth? In the podcast episode with Richie , Daniel Krauss and Florian Fieber, these questions are discussed openly and illuminated from personal experience.

Quality in startups: not an end in itself

To begin with, Daniel Krauss and Florian Fieber discuss why testing in startups is not an end in itself. The goal is not to simply test because "you just do it". Instead, there needs to be a clear awareness of quality. If nobody sleeps badly with a new product because something doesn't work, there is a lack of genuine interest in software quality.

Florian Fieber emphasizes: "Only when someone really takes responsibility for the product does the desire to systematically ensure quality grow. Start-ups are not fundamentally different from large companies in this respect, except that the impact of errors is often felt more directly - sometimes even threatening the existence of the company.

Testing and customer focus: closer to real use

One decisive advantage of start-ups is their proximity to real customers. In large companies, end users are often far removed from the development teams. Testers often only see technical requirements on paper - not the real user experience.

In start-ups, the founders and product owners often test the applications themselves and experience them like a normal customer. Bugs and problems are noticed immediately and can be fixed quickly. With increasing size, this develops into a separate "agile tester" role that always works with the user in mind.

Daniel Krauss describes: 'In his company, testing was first developed from a customer perspective before it was given technical processes. Errors don't just mean trouble, but real risk to the survival of the product.

Professionalization: pain and growth

With success comes new challenges. The organization grows, new processes emerge, and the relaxed start-up feeling is supplemented by requirements from investors, auditors or customers. A painful change for some.

Daniel Krauss sees the shift towards professionalism less as pain and more as a natural flow. When teams are open, change succeeds. It only becomes critical when processes become an end in themselves and the actual product focus is lost.

Florian Fieber also warns against seeing testing as an important discipline too late. In the beginning, everyone's cooperation helps, but at some point, special competence and systematic methods are needed to ensure that quality is not lost as the scope grows.

Testing as a team task: mindset and roles

How do software developers feel about quality today? In the past, testing was often an unloved task for second-class developers. In the meantime, quality has become more of a shared responsibility.

Daniel Krauss says: "At Flix, testers receive the necessary recognition and have the voice to demand the necessary quality. Testing is currently seen as an integral part of every team - including development, product owners and the testers themselves. Changing roles and responsibilities bring fresh perspectives and ensure a culture of learning.

Willingness to learn, training and tools

To have good testers, you need further training and curiosity. Daniel Krauss reports on how personal responsibility is encouraged within the company. Professional exchange and openness to new tools and methods are essential for testing to keep pace: From ISTQB basics to community work and practical training.

Florian Fieber adds: "Methods and basic ideas remain important, even if tools change. Strategic and conceptual skills in particular help to sustainably improve quality in any context.

AI, web coding and the future: more code, more errors

Finally, the guests discuss the future of software development with AI and web coding. Generated solutions bring speed, but also new sources of errors. For testers, the work will therefore become more rather than less. Florian Fieber says calmly: "It was thought that testers would become superfluous - but now we need them even more!"

The episode shows that testing in start-ups is more than just a control mechanism. Quality awareness, customer focus and a willingness to learn are crucial for dealing with growing complexity and speed. The best startups? They make it into the 'sea' because they think quality right from the start.