Software teams are moving faster than ever, and quality assurance is becoming more critical as a result. AI-assisted development, automation, and leaner engineering teams have dramatically shortened release cycles. Features ship quicker. Iteration happens constantly. Expectations for speed keep rising.
But as velocity increases, so does risk.
Broken releases, subtle bugs, and reliability issues don’t just slow teams down, they erode trust with users and stakeholders. That’s why many tech leaders are taking a closer look at quality assurance (QA) as they plan for 2026. Not as a safety net at the end of development, but as a strategic function that enables speed without sacrificing stability.
Software is shipping faster, but at a higher cost of failure
AI has changed how software is built. Code generation tools, automated workflows, and faster CI/CD pipelines have made it easier to push changes quickly. For engineering leaders, this can feel like a competitive advantage until something breaks.
The reality is that faster development cycles reduce the margin for error. Teams have less time to manually validate changes. Systems are more interconnected. A small issue in one area can ripple across platforms, integrations, or user workflows.
In this environment, quality problems aren’t just technical issues. They become business problems- missed deadlines, rushed hotfixes, unhappy users, and burned-out teams.
Why automated testing alone isn’t enough
Automation is a critical part of modern software development. But automated testing and QA are not the same thing.
Automated tests validate what teams expect to happen. QA focuses on what actually happens when real users interact with real systems.
As software becomes more complex, especially with AI-driven features, data dependencies, and third-party integrations, edge cases become harder to anticipate. Automated tests can confirm that individual components work, but they often miss workflow gaps, unexpected interactions, or assumptions that no longer hold true.
QA provides the human perspective that automation can’t replace. It connects requirements to outcomes and ensures the system behaves as intended beyond happy paths.
Quality assurance as a velocity enabler, not a bottleneck
One of the biggest misconceptions about QA is that it slows teams down. In reality, mature QA practices do the opposite.
When QA is embedded early and works closely with engineering, teams release with more confidence. Fewer surprises appear late in the cycle. Rollbacks and emergency fixes become less common.
As Nicolas Silvestre, Head of the QA Department at Distillery, puts it:
“A mature QA practice gives stakeholders confidence in timelines and quality. Developers write code more confidently knowing they have a QA team actively guiding requirements and validating assumptions.”
That confidence matters. It allows teams to move quickly without second-guessing every release. QA becomes a stabilizing force that protects momentum instead of interrupting it.
Where quality assurance fits in modern engineering teams
QA in 2026 doesn’t live at the end of the development lifecycle. It’s collaborative, continuous, and adaptive.
Modern quality assurance teams:
- Engage early to clarify requirements and surface risks
- Work alongside engineers as systems evolve
- Focus on workflows, integrations, and real-world usage
- Adjust testing strategies as new tools and technologies are introduced
This approach aligns QA with business outcomes, not just test coverage. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s reliability at scale.
What tech leaders should prioritize going into 2026
As development continues to accelerate, QA becomes less about checking boxes and more about protecting long-term velocity. Tech leaders should look for QA practices that:
- Scale with increasingly complex systems
- Adapt to AI-assisted development and automation
- Communicate clearly with engineering and product teams
- Focus on impact, not just process
Strong QA creates trust within teams and with stakeholders. That trust is what allows organizations to ship faster, experiment more, and grow without constant rework.
Quality is the foundation of sustainable speed
Speed without quality doesn’t last. As teams embrace new technologies and faster ways of building software, quality assurance becomes the foundation that keeps everything standing.
Going into 2026, the most effective engineering organizations won’t be the ones that ship the fastest; they’ll be the ones that ship confidently. Quality assurance plays a central role in making that possible.
At Distillery, we help teams build and scale modern QA practices that support speed without sacrificing reliability. Whether you’re looking to strengthen your existing QA process or add experienced QA resources to your team, we work alongside engineering leaders to reduce risk and increase confidence in every release. If you’re rethinking how QA fits into your team, schedule a free consultation with our team to talk through your current challenges and explore how we can help.