To assure quality and achieve deadlines despite delays, prioritise jobs based on risk effect and prioritise essential areas first. Use parallel testing to increase efficiency. Use automated testing technologies to speed up operations and uncover problems quickly. Conduct frequent status reviews to track progress and change plans. Communicate openly with stakeholders to manage expectations and acquire more resources if needed. Create a collaborative environment that encourages problem solving and creativity. This proactive strategy guarantees that quality standards are upheld while timelines are fulfilled.

1) RBT - risk based testing is the well seasoned solution for these problems. Priorities TCs based on “impact of failure “ and “likelihood of failure “. Execute TC in first 3 quadrant and leave “low impact and low likelihood “ ones. 2) Automate as much as possible and as early as possible 3) Avoid unnecessary redundancy in testing. 4) Use AI to complete regular task faster

- Identify the most critical features or tests and prioritize them.Focus on high-risk areas that directly impact quality and functionality. - Automate repetitive tasks to save time and reduce manual effort.Use efficient tools for testing, reporting, and collaboration. - Divide the testing tasks among team members to work simultaneously on multiple areas. - Focus testing efforts on areas with the highest risk of failure or most significant business impact. By being flexible, prioritizing effectively, and maintaining clear communication, we can ensure quality while staying as close as possible to the deadline.

Prioritize critical functionalities, increase collaboration with developers for quick fixes, and utilize automation to speed up testing. Continuously reassess risks to ensure quality is maintained within the adjusted timeline.

Risk-based testing is key here—prioritize high-impact & high-risk areas to ensure critical functionality is validated first. Implement parallel testing where possible, leveraging automation & exploratory testing to maximize efficiency. If delays persist, communicate proactively with stakeholders to adjust expectations or negotiate scope while maintaining core quality standards. Utilize shift-left testing to catch issues earlier & prevent further slowdowns.

It's common problem to expect the unexpected delays with the environment. The old strategy is to prioritise business critical scenarios and ensure all the day in day out scenarios are covered. In Cloud era, there is a lot of flexibility to duplicate the environment. Get the access to development completed modules from Dev environment and based on the impact of the code, test the modules thoroughly in Dev environment. This will remediate highest level of risk to impacted modules. Once the code is migrated to test environment, cover the priority progression tests based on the schedules along with automated regression tests.

One aspect is generally overlooked, especially by development teams and project management: testing is the last activity and after testing we should deploy: - fixing the bugs.... then test again (you could need few iterations) As the testing is usually delayed, due to delays in the previous steps, the fixing of the bugs with critical impact on the customer (not with higher technical severity) is crucial.

Unexpected delays are a reality we all face, but they don’t have to derail quality or deadlines. In my experience, the key lies in adaptability. I focus on recalibrating priorities — identifying which tests or tasks are mission-critical to ensure the product’s core integrity. In e-commerce and AI-driven projects, where precision matters, I lean on streamlined communication and flexible frameworks to keep teams aligned. Collaboration becomes even more essential when time is tight. It’s not just about meeting deadlines; it’s about ensuring the outcome reflects our standards, even under pressure. Challenges like these often drive the kind of innovation that shapes better solutions, strengthening both the process and the team.

Quality can not be compromised at any cost, So to counter unexpected delays. A contingency plan need to be prepared in advance to avoid unforseen situations. Certain procedure need to hastened and certain formalities need to be bypassed like long purchase procedures.