As a QA, is it okay to ask relevant questions? My understanding is yes - asking questions is important to ensure clarity and product quality - but I’m open to hearing different perspectives.
How do you handle situations where you have a lot of questions, the requirements are unclear, and the team is too busy to help?
Have you personally faced such a situation before, and how did you manage to overcome it?
Hello @maithic! I think it’s perfectly fine to ask questions whenever they pop up. I wrote a piece recently on asking questions, their importance, and ways to ask questions, and how to respond to feedback. Wide open spaces: A thought worker's guide to asking good questions | Ministry of Testing
When I have a lot of questions, the requirements seem unclear, and the team is too busy, the best thing I can think of is posing your question in a public way (think Slack, or Teams) where lots of team members will see the question and have the opportunity to respond to it. Some teams are busy for valid reasons, so I’d say it’s fine if it takes a while for them to respond. However, it’s important that you get answers to your questions. If after a few hours of asking in one chat, you don’t get any results, take it to another chat.
You aren’t being annoying. The information you’re asking for will inform your testing. When you ask in public chats, others can learn from the responses. DMs are silos that are best avoided.
Love the piece Judy. Asking questions is something I still struggle with professionally.
In my volunteering life I’m in a senior role and practically beg people to ask questions and do my best to make the space safe for questions (even allowing DMs as I’m of the thinking asking however they feel most comfortable is better than not asking at all). I may then share publicly with a ‘this question has come up a few times’ without naming names.
As someone who’s still very junior professionally I appreciate the insights you’ve shared.
I continue to struggle with ‘I should know this already’. I know there’s value in reframing how we ask questions both from a non-violent communication standpoint and in how we present ourselves. Instead of opening with “This might be silly/stupid…,” (my default) ideally we should try phrasing that shows curiosity, respect for context, or a desire to learn.
For Maithilee’s point about teams being too busy to help: I’ve seen that too. In those cases, I try to document what I’ve already checked and ask very specific questions about where I feel things are unclear, which makes it easier for busy teammates to respond quickly
This 
A thousand times, this
Hello 
Experts have already shared some great advice. I will share some of my experience as well.
The situation you are facing is a very common one, and its periodic, it will keep occurring no matter where you are in your career, Its completely fine. To reassure you 
If you have a question and team is busy: whatever ticket you are working on: write down those questions under the ticket - a) it will have public visibility b) you will not forget those questions later ever.
If teams are tend to be busy: I usually do my part 100% and then I knock on their door for a free time slot for my answers.
After few days if you have not got the answers yet, simply follow up!
Other platforms I would suggest to ask relevant questions are: Technical Refinements, sprint plannings.
Hope it helps
It’s not always ideal, but it’s better to make progress rather than stay stuck.
For sure, I have been in the same situation, and the best solution that has worked for me is to take action, adapt and utilize whatever resources I have to my advantage, and openly explain the challenges I am dealing with to the team. It is true that every team member does not have the time to focus on every single thing, but giving them prior notice about the issues or the challenges that are likely to happen goes a long way in solving the problems that matter and require attention.
If you have a question and team is busy: whatever ticket you are working on: write down those questions under the ticket - a) it will have public visibility b) you will not forget those questions later ever.
This was a policy decision we instituted org wide. Asking questions on the ticket helps track the thought processes that went into some decisions as we often failed to update titles or descriptions to tickets when features were skewed.
I’ve become the “question guy” more or less at my company out of a realization that:
a. Someone is usually thinking the question too
b. I need this information to do my job, and
c. Sometimes people don’t realize they are making assumptions until someone else asks for clarification.
Public spaces and tickets are the best as stated above and if your company culture seems to frown on this behavior…. ask why.