How I Know When It’s Time to Add Lightweight QA on a Startup Project

Startup projects prioritize speed over everything else early on, but as products mature and approach real users, this creates significant problems including bugs, unclear requirements, and mounting technical debt. Key warning signs indicate when to introduce quality assurance: vague acceptance criteria, code that passes review but fails in practice, frequent surprises, and approaching release to actual users. The solution involves implementing lightweight QA practices like establishing clear acceptance criteria, creating a single place to report issues, ensuring proper code review, and requiring stakeholder sign-off—maintaining startup velocity while building confidence in deliverables.