What it does
Collects real signals (escaped defects, flaky count, pipeline duration, coverage gaps, traceability orphans), scores each ISTQB process area against a deterministic maturity rubric, diagnoses the top gaps, and produces an IDEAL-structured action plan with success metrics, effort, priority, and owners. Writes one report and changes no code or CI.
When to use it
At retrospectives, test-process audits, or when escaped defects, flakiness, or slow pipelines signal the process needs work.
Prerequisites
qa.config.yml (run /qa:qa-init first) — paths, tooling, gates, risk_areas, process, team. Reads repo signals (test counts, flaky markers, CI files).
Output
Test Process Improvement Report (improvement-plan work product, not a 29119-3 testware document) -> <paths.docs_dir>/PROCESS-IMPROVEMENT-<date>.md.
Mechanics
How it works
- Config guard; resolve focus from args or default to risk_areas.critical
- Collect quantifiable signals from real evidence; mark unavailable ones unknown
- Score each ISTQB process area at the highest level whose criterion is fully evidenced (TMMi-style rubric)
- Record current level, the specific quantifiable gap to the next, and the evidence
- Diagnose top gaps tied to their real signals
- Recommend improvements via the IDEAL cycle with metrics, effort, priority, owner
- Write the report; route the top gap to the matching command
Why it works
The theory behind it
ISTQB Expert 'Improving the Test Process' plus the IDEAL cycle (Initiating–Diagnosing–Establishing–Acting–Learning), with CTAL-TM metrics as inputs. The maturity model (TMMi/TPI) is used only as a diagnostic lens, not a compliance checkbox; the command is advisory and a human owns acting on it (Principle 1).
Improving the Test Process (Expert) · IDEAL · CTAL-TM
Example
See it in use
> /qa:process-improvement "flaky pipeline + escaped checkout defects"✓ Correct when It assesses maturity (TMMi/IDEAL-style) and gives prioritized, owned improvement actions backed by named signals.