Many new project fields look simple from a distance because we only see the outputs and interfaces. But corner cases, bad data, users with special needs, regulations—getting inside a new knowledge domain and teasing out the special cases and unhappy paths is a skill. This is why business analysts are so important.

If testing is taking awhile and a lot of bugs are getting into production, it's a good idea to review your entire test strategy. Spend some time understanding the current process and what testing is happening through the dev process—not what is outlined in a process wiki, but the work that actually happens.

Downtime doesn’t need to mean unproductive time. It doesn’t have to be spent passively waiting for your next assignment. Instead, you can take advantage of your downtime and use it productively. If you want to maximize your downtime but don’t know where to start, focus on the three P’s: product, process, and people.