A sneak peek at key findings from Sembi’s first-ever industry-wide survey
Nearly 4,000 QA engineers, security professionals, developers, and engineering leaders just told us something important: software quality has never been more complex, or more critical. The inaugural Sembi Software Quality Pulse Report is here, and we wanted to give you a sneak peek at a few of the findings that matter the most to QA.
TL;DR QA teams are under pressure from faster release cycles, AI-generated code, limited staffing, and fragmented toolchains. The report makes one thing clear: integration is no longer optional—it’s the single biggest differentiator between high- and low-performing teams. For QA leaders, that means the case for connected test management has never been stronger.
Release Velocity Is Outpacing Testing Processes
Teams are releasing faster, but quality isn’t always keeping up. Teams consistently rank quality, security, and compliance above speed as release priorities—yet only about 26% of QA teams describe themselves as mostly or fully integrated with the DevOps pipelines built to support them, leaving a significant gap between what teams say they value and the infrastructure built to support it.
For teams using test management platforms like TestRail, this gap is an opportunity. Integrated, real-time test visibility and centralized test case management can help QA teams keep pace without sacrificing test coverage.
Ready or Not, AI Is Transforming Testing
One of the most striking findings in this year’s report was the revelation that 53% of all code is now AI-generated or AI-assisted. This shift is fundamentally changing what QA teams are being asked to validate and how fast they need to do it.
- 61% of respondents report moderate to dramatic increases in QA testing demand due to AI-generated code
- Only 17% describe the impact of AI-driven testing tools as significant, with most gains still incremental
- 57% of QA tests are currently automated, demonstrating that the test automation gap is still open
AI is clearly driving more code volume, more testing demand, and more complexity—but AI-powered testing tools haven’t yet delivered transformative results at scale. Teams that invest in intelligent test management platforms with built-in AI capabilities for test case generation, coverage analysis, and predictive quality insights will be better positioned to bridge this gap.
Integration Is the Differentiator
Across every dimension of this year’s survey, integration emerged as the clearest line between high- and low-performing QA teams. Teams that are deeply integrated with CI/CD pipelines report both faster release cycles and lower defect leakage, yet full integration remains the exception, not the norm.
TestRail’s integration ecosystem—spanning Jira, GitHub, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and dozens more—exists precisely to eliminate the friction between test management and the rest of the development workflow. In a world where only 26% of teams are meaningfully integrated, there’s still a lot of runway for teams to close the gap.
The Talent Gap Isn’t Going Away
44.7% of QA teams report being understaffed, and most organizations don’t anticipate significant headcount growth in the next 12 months. That means QA teams are being asked to do more, test more, and move faster, with the same or fewer resources. This is exactly the environment where smarter tooling earns its keep. Test management platforms that reduce manual overhead, surface risk intelligently, and help smaller teams punch above their weight aren’t a luxury—they’re a necessity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the 2026 Software Quality Pulse Report say about QA team performance?
The report found that integration with DevOps pipelines is the clearest differentiator between high- and low-performing QA teams. Only about 26% of teams are mostly or fully integrated, meaning most organizations still have significant room to improve release readiness and reduce defect leakage through better-connected test management workflows.
How is AI-generated code affecting QA teams?
Significantly. Teams report that an average of 53% of their code is now AI-generated or AI-assisted, and 61% say that has led to moderate or dramatic increases in QA testing demand. Despite this, only 17% describe the impact of AI-driven testing tools as significant, meaning demand is rising faster than tooling is keeping up.
Why is test automation still a challenge despite widespread adoption?
The report found that while 57% of QA tests are currently automated, execution gaps remain. Skill shortages, fragile test suites, and tooling complexity are limiting the return on automation investments. Automation coverage alone doesn’t close the gap, teams also need smarter workflows, better CI/CD integration, and test management platforms that surface risk in real time.
How are QA and security roles converging in 2026?
The report shows that QA teams are increasingly expected to validate not just functionality, but also risk, security compliance, and release readiness. 68% of respondents say stronger QA and security alignment would be very or extremely valuable, yet most organizations still operate with siloed teams and misaligned KPIs. The convergence is happening, but the operational model to support it is still being built.
What should QA leaders prioritize in 2026?
Based on the report findings, the highest-impact investments are deeper DevOps integration, AI-assisted test management, and cross-functional alignment with security teams. With 44.7% of QA teams understaffed and AI driving up testing demand, the teams that will pull ahead are those that use tooling to multiply their capacity, not just add more tests.
Want the full picture?
These findings only scratch the surface of what the Sembi Software Quality Pulse Report covers. Download the full report to explore all seven core insights—including a deep dive into AI adoption, QA/security convergence, and what top-performing teams are doing differently.
