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Client QA Guide

This Quality Assurance (QA) Guide aims to provide a general outline of the steps required to validate your website during a migration to Organic CMS. The steps outlined in this document should be performed once a staging site is available for review and result in approval to switch the site over to Organic CMS fully or a list of action items to be addressed before migration can occur.

This document outlines a systematic procedures recommended for effective QA checks. The process entails the selection of URLs representative of various page types, distinct from those chosen by other QA team members. The tracked URLs should be recorded in a shared sheet, where discrepancies are noted, then shared back to the migration team.

In parallel with this guide, SEO teams should be conducting Phase 2 of the SEO Migration Guide.

The guide is structured to cover distinct content types, including articles, taxonomy pages, and standalone pages, offering specific checkpoints for each category. By adhering to these guidelines, clients can conduct a thorough assessment of styling, functionality, and content integrity across diverse templates, ensuring a smooth transition into Organic CMS.

Overview​

  1. Conduct spot checks on a variety of URLs representing each page/post type.
  2. Ensure broad coverage by selecting URLs distinct from those chosen by other QA team members.
  3. Create and maintain a shared sheet to document and track the URLs that have undergone QA.
  4. Identify and record any discrepancies observed during the QA process in the shared sheet.

Articles​

Article Guidelines​

  1. Spot Checks:
    • Examine 10-15 instances of each article template.
    • Select a combination of top-performing and recent articles.
  2. Consistency Checks:
    • Verify styling consistency across Organic CMS and legacy site.
    • Confirm the presence of data, including text, images, links, email forms, and modules.

Article Templates​

Make sure you're checking posts/pages for each type of template that exists for your site. Templates will vary for each site, but the most common templates include:

  • Default Template
  • Alternative Template
  • Custom Template(s) (Commerce, Recipes, Features, Paid, etc.)

Article Items​

  • Headings
  • Bylines
  • Author Biographies
  • Published/Modified Timestamps
  • Content (Text, Images, Videos, Links)
  • Community Features (Comments, Ratings, Share Bars, Hidden Features)
  • Special Functionality
  • Calls to Action
  • Recirculation Modules
  • URLs
  • Metadata
  • Recipe Elements (if applicable)
  • Commerce Blocks (if applicable)
  • Schema

Taxonomies​

Taxonomy Guidelines​

  1. Spot Checks:
    • Examine 5-10 URLs for each taxonomy template.
  2. Consistency Checks:
    • Confirm styling consistency between Organic CMS and the legacy site.
    • Verify the presence of data.

Taxonomy Templates​

  • Category Pages (Parent, Child, Custom Category Pages)
  • Tag Pages
  • Author Pages

Taxonomy Items​

  1. Functionality:
    • Assess filtering, search, share bars, pagination, etc.
  2. Appearance:
    • Ensure consistent visual presentation.
  3. Text and Images:
    • Review elements such as author bio and headshot.
  4. Number of Posts in Each Taxonomy:
    • Observe minimal variations until content freeze before launch due to continual data export.
  5. URLs:
    • Confirm the accuracy of URLs.

Standalone Pages​

Page Guidelines​

  1. Selecting Standalone Pages:
    • Evaluate top standalone pages based on promotional importance or traffic.
    • Choose pages exhibiting diverse functionality.

Common Pages​

  • Homepage
  • Menu Pages
  • Landing Pages
  • FAQ Pages
  • About Pages
  • Contact Pages
  • Masthead
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Standalone Page Items​

  1. Functionality:
    • Assess the operational features of each page.
  2. Appearance:
    • Ensure a consistent and visually appealing presentation.
  3. Text, Images, and Videos:
    • Review the content and visual elements.
  4. URLs:
    • Confirm the accuracy and integrity of URLs.