diff --git a/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index 164a7460021..bfc657fb749 100644
--- a/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ const metricsServiceName = "project-controller-manager-metrics-service"
 const metricsRoleBindingName = "project-metrics-binding"
 
 var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
+	var controllerPodName string
+
 	// Before running the tests, set up the environment by creating the namespace,
 	// installing CRDs, and deploying the controller.
 	BeforeAll(func() {
@@ -82,12 +84,53 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 		_, _ = utils.Run(cmd)
 	})
 
+	// After each test, check for failures and collect logs, events,
+	// and pod descriptions for debugging.
+	AfterEach(func() {
+		specReport := CurrentSpecReport()
+		if specReport.Failed() {
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod logs")
+			cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			controllerLogs, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Controller logs:\n %s", controllerLogs))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Controller logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching Kubernetes events")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "events", "-n", namespace, "--sort-by=.lastTimestamp")
+			eventsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Kubernetes events:\n%s", eventsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Kubernetes events: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching curl-metrics logs")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
+			metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Metrics logs:\n %s", metricsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get curl-metrics logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod description")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "describe", "pod", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			podDescription, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				fmt.Println("Pod description:\n", podDescription)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println("Failed to describe controller pod")
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
 	SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Minute)
 	SetDefaultEventuallyPollingInterval(time.Second)
 
-	// The Context block contains the actual tests that validate the manager's behavior.
 	Context("Manager", func() {
-		var controllerPodName string
 		It("should run successfully", func() {
 			By("validating that the controller-manager pod is running as expected")
 			verifyControllerUp := func(g Gomega) {
@@ -103,7 +146,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 
 				podOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve controller-manager pod information")
-				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(string(podOutput))
+				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(podOutput)
 				g.Expect(podNames).To(HaveLen(1), "expected 1 controller pod running")
 				controllerPodName = podNames[0]
 				g.Expect(controllerPodName).To(ContainSubstring("controller-manager"))
@@ -115,9 +158,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(BeEquivalentTo("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
 			}
-			// Repeatedly check if the controller-manager pod is running until it succeeds or times out.
 			Eventually(verifyControllerUp).Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -150,7 +192,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "endpoints", metricsServiceName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsEndpointReady).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -159,7 +201,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
 					"Metrics server not yet started")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsServerStarted).Should(Succeed())
@@ -181,7 +223,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 					"-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyCurlUp, 5*time.Minute).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -261,7 +303,6 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	var out string
-	var rawJson string
 	verifyTokenCreation := func(g Gomega) {
 		// Execute kubectl command to create the token
 		cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "create", "--raw", fmt.Sprintf(
@@ -273,11 +314,9 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 		output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		rawJson = string(output)
-
 		// Parse the JSON output to extract the token
 		var token tokenRequest
-		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(rawJson), &token)
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(output), &token)
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		out = token.Status.Token
@@ -293,9 +332,8 @@ func getMetricsOutput() string {
 	cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
 	metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve logs from curl pod")
-	metricsOutputStr := string(metricsOutput)
-	Expect(metricsOutputStr).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
-	return metricsOutputStr
+	Expect(metricsOutput).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
+	return metricsOutput
 }
 
 // tokenRequest is a simplified representation of the Kubernetes TokenRequest API response,
diff --git a/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go b/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
index db4ad3f02f6..16a6383783a 100644
--- a/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
+++ b/docs/book/src/cronjob-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func warnError(err error) {
 }
 
 // Run executes the provided command within this context
-func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
+func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) (string, error) {
 	dir, _ := GetProjectDir()
 	cmd.Dir = dir
 
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "running: %s\n", command)
 	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
+		return string(output), fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
 	}
 
-	return output, nil
+	return string(output), nil
 }
 
 // InstallPrometheusOperator installs the prometheus Operator to be used to export the enabled metrics.
diff --git a/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index a986ac7474e..eebb6bfa0ac 100644
--- a/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ const metricsServiceName = "project-controller-manager-metrics-service"
 const metricsRoleBindingName = "project-metrics-binding"
 
 var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
+	var controllerPodName string
+
 	// Before running the tests, set up the environment by creating the namespace,
 	// installing CRDs, and deploying the controller.
 	BeforeAll(func() {
@@ -82,12 +84,53 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 		_, _ = utils.Run(cmd)
 	})
 
+	// After each test, check for failures and collect logs, events,
+	// and pod descriptions for debugging.
+	AfterEach(func() {
+		specReport := CurrentSpecReport()
+		if specReport.Failed() {
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod logs")
+			cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			controllerLogs, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Controller logs:\n %s", controllerLogs))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Controller logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching Kubernetes events")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "events", "-n", namespace, "--sort-by=.lastTimestamp")
+			eventsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Kubernetes events:\n%s", eventsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Kubernetes events: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching curl-metrics logs")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
+			metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Metrics logs:\n %s", metricsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get curl-metrics logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod description")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "describe", "pod", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			podDescription, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				fmt.Println("Pod description:\n", podDescription)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println("Failed to describe controller pod")
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
 	SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Minute)
 	SetDefaultEventuallyPollingInterval(time.Second)
 
-	// The Context block contains the actual tests that validate the manager's behavior.
 	Context("Manager", func() {
-		var controllerPodName string
 		It("should run successfully", func() {
 			By("validating that the controller-manager pod is running as expected")
 			verifyControllerUp := func(g Gomega) {
@@ -103,7 +146,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 
 				podOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve controller-manager pod information")
-				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(string(podOutput))
+				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(podOutput)
 				g.Expect(podNames).To(HaveLen(1), "expected 1 controller pod running")
 				controllerPodName = podNames[0]
 				g.Expect(controllerPodName).To(ContainSubstring("controller-manager"))
@@ -115,9 +158,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(BeEquivalentTo("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
 			}
-			// Repeatedly check if the controller-manager pod is running until it succeeds or times out.
 			Eventually(verifyControllerUp).Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -150,7 +192,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "endpoints", metricsServiceName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsEndpointReady).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -159,7 +201,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
 					"Metrics server not yet started")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsServerStarted).Should(Succeed())
@@ -181,7 +223,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 					"-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyCurlUp, 5*time.Minute).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -223,7 +265,6 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	var out string
-	var rawJson string
 	verifyTokenCreation := func(g Gomega) {
 		// Execute kubectl command to create the token
 		cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "create", "--raw", fmt.Sprintf(
@@ -235,11 +276,9 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 		output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		rawJson = string(output)
-
 		// Parse the JSON output to extract the token
 		var token tokenRequest
-		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(rawJson), &token)
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(output), &token)
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		out = token.Status.Token
@@ -255,9 +294,8 @@ func getMetricsOutput() string {
 	cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
 	metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve logs from curl pod")
-	metricsOutputStr := string(metricsOutput)
-	Expect(metricsOutputStr).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
-	return metricsOutputStr
+	Expect(metricsOutput).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
+	return metricsOutput
 }
 
 // tokenRequest is a simplified representation of the Kubernetes TokenRequest API response,
diff --git a/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go b/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
index db4ad3f02f6..16a6383783a 100644
--- a/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
+++ b/docs/book/src/getting-started/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func warnError(err error) {
 }
 
 // Run executes the provided command within this context
-func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
+func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) (string, error) {
 	dir, _ := GetProjectDir()
 	cmd.Dir = dir
 
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "running: %s\n", command)
 	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
+		return string(output), fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
 	}
 
-	return output, nil
+	return string(output), nil
 }
 
 // InstallPrometheusOperator installs the prometheus Operator to be used to export the enabled metrics.
diff --git a/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index 164a7460021..bfc657fb749 100644
--- a/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ const metricsServiceName = "project-controller-manager-metrics-service"
 const metricsRoleBindingName = "project-metrics-binding"
 
 var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
+	var controllerPodName string
+
 	// Before running the tests, set up the environment by creating the namespace,
 	// installing CRDs, and deploying the controller.
 	BeforeAll(func() {
@@ -82,12 +84,53 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 		_, _ = utils.Run(cmd)
 	})
 
+	// After each test, check for failures and collect logs, events,
+	// and pod descriptions for debugging.
+	AfterEach(func() {
+		specReport := CurrentSpecReport()
+		if specReport.Failed() {
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod logs")
+			cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			controllerLogs, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Controller logs:\n %s", controllerLogs))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Controller logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching Kubernetes events")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "events", "-n", namespace, "--sort-by=.lastTimestamp")
+			eventsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Kubernetes events:\n%s", eventsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Kubernetes events: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching curl-metrics logs")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
+			metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Metrics logs:\n %s", metricsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get curl-metrics logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod description")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "describe", "pod", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			podDescription, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				fmt.Println("Pod description:\n", podDescription)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println("Failed to describe controller pod")
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
 	SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Minute)
 	SetDefaultEventuallyPollingInterval(time.Second)
 
-	// The Context block contains the actual tests that validate the manager's behavior.
 	Context("Manager", func() {
-		var controllerPodName string
 		It("should run successfully", func() {
 			By("validating that the controller-manager pod is running as expected")
 			verifyControllerUp := func(g Gomega) {
@@ -103,7 +146,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 
 				podOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve controller-manager pod information")
-				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(string(podOutput))
+				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(podOutput)
 				g.Expect(podNames).To(HaveLen(1), "expected 1 controller pod running")
 				controllerPodName = podNames[0]
 				g.Expect(controllerPodName).To(ContainSubstring("controller-manager"))
@@ -115,9 +158,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(BeEquivalentTo("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
 			}
-			// Repeatedly check if the controller-manager pod is running until it succeeds or times out.
 			Eventually(verifyControllerUp).Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -150,7 +192,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "endpoints", metricsServiceName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsEndpointReady).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -159,7 +201,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
 					"Metrics server not yet started")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsServerStarted).Should(Succeed())
@@ -181,7 +223,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 					"-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyCurlUp, 5*time.Minute).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -261,7 +303,6 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	var out string
-	var rawJson string
 	verifyTokenCreation := func(g Gomega) {
 		// Execute kubectl command to create the token
 		cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "create", "--raw", fmt.Sprintf(
@@ -273,11 +314,9 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 		output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		rawJson = string(output)
-
 		// Parse the JSON output to extract the token
 		var token tokenRequest
-		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(rawJson), &token)
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(output), &token)
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		out = token.Status.Token
@@ -293,9 +332,8 @@ func getMetricsOutput() string {
 	cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
 	metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve logs from curl pod")
-	metricsOutputStr := string(metricsOutput)
-	Expect(metricsOutputStr).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
-	return metricsOutputStr
+	Expect(metricsOutput).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
+	return metricsOutput
 }
 
 // tokenRequest is a simplified representation of the Kubernetes TokenRequest API response,
diff --git a/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go b/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
index db4ad3f02f6..16a6383783a 100644
--- a/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
+++ b/docs/book/src/multiversion-tutorial/testdata/project/test/utils/utils.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func warnError(err error) {
 }
 
 // Run executes the provided command within this context
-func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
+func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) (string, error) {
 	dir, _ := GetProjectDir()
 	cmd.Dir = dir
 
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "running: %s\n", command)
 	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
+		return string(output), fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
 	}
 
-	return output, nil
+	return string(output), nil
 }
 
 // InstallPrometheusOperator installs the prometheus Operator to be used to export the enabled metrics.
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/e2e/test.go b/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/e2e/test.go
index 7781c336b6f..bf3ad3b53de 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/e2e/test.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/e2e/test.go
@@ -176,6 +176,8 @@ const metricsServiceName = "{{ .ProjectName }}-controller-manager-metrics-servic
 const metricsRoleBindingName = "{{ .ProjectName }}-metrics-binding"
 
 var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
+	var controllerPodName string
+	
 	// Before running the tests, set up the environment by creating the namespace, 
 	// installing CRDs, and deploying the controller.
 	BeforeAll(func() {
@@ -215,12 +217,53 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 		_, _ = utils.Run(cmd)
 	})
 
+	// After each test, check for failures and collect logs, events,
+	// and pod descriptions for debugging.
+	AfterEach(func() {
+		specReport := CurrentSpecReport()
+		if specReport.Failed() {
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod logs")
+			cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			controllerLogs, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Controller logs:\n %s", controllerLogs))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Controller logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching Kubernetes events")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "events", "-n", namespace, "--sort-by=.lastTimestamp")
+			eventsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Kubernetes events:\n%s", eventsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Kubernetes events: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching curl-metrics logs")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
+			metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Metrics logs:\n %s", metricsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get curl-metrics logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod description")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "describe", "pod", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			podDescription, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				fmt.Println("Pod description:\n", podDescription)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println("Failed to describe controller pod")
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
 	SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Minute)
 	SetDefaultEventuallyPollingInterval(time.Second)
 
-	// The Context block contains the actual tests that validate the manager's behavior.
 	Context("Manager", func() {
-		var controllerPodName string
 		It("should run successfully", func() {
 			By("validating that the controller-manager pod is running as expected")
 			verifyControllerUp := func(g Gomega) {
@@ -236,7 +279,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 
 				podOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve controller-manager pod information")
-				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(string(podOutput))
+				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(podOutput)
 				g.Expect(podNames).To(HaveLen(1), "expected 1 controller pod running")
 				controllerPodName = podNames[0]
 				g.Expect(controllerPodName).To(ContainSubstring("controller-manager"))
@@ -248,9 +291,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(BeEquivalentTo("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
 			}
-			// Repeatedly check if the controller-manager pod is running until it succeeds or times out.
 			Eventually(verifyControllerUp).Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -283,7 +325,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "endpoints", metricsServiceName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsEndpointReady).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -292,7 +334,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
  					"Metrics server not yet started")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsServerStarted).Should(Succeed())
@@ -314,7 +356,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 					"-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyCurlUp, 5 * time.Minute).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -356,7 +398,6 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	var out string
-	var rawJson string
 	verifyTokenCreation := func(g Gomega) {
 		// Execute kubectl command to create the token
 		cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "create", "--raw", fmt.Sprintf(
@@ -368,11 +409,9 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 		output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		rawJson = string(output)
-
 		// Parse the JSON output to extract the token
 		var token tokenRequest
-		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(rawJson), &token)
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(output), &token)
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		out = token.Status.Token
@@ -388,9 +427,8 @@ func getMetricsOutput() string {
 	cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
 	metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve logs from curl pod")
-	metricsOutputStr := string(metricsOutput)
-	Expect(metricsOutputStr).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
-	return metricsOutputStr
+	Expect(metricsOutput).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
+	return metricsOutput
 }
 
 // tokenRequest is a simplified representation of the Kubernetes TokenRequest API response,
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/utils/utils.go b/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/utils/utils.go
index fd68964be6f..6d3dec530d6 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/utils/utils.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/golang/v4/scaffolds/internal/templates/test/utils/utils.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func warnError(err error) {
 }
 
 // Run executes the provided command within this context
-func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
+func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) (string, error) {
 	dir, _ := GetProjectDir()
 	cmd.Dir = dir
 
@@ -79,10 +79,10 @@ func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "running: %s\n", command)
 	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
+		return string(output), fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
 	}
 
-	return output, nil
+	return string(output), nil
 }
 
 // InstallPrometheusOperator installs the prometheus Operator to be used to export the enabled metrics.
diff --git a/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index 6c32c749e06..b6aae66a78d 100644
--- a/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ const metricsServiceName = "project-v4-multigroup-controller-manager-metrics-ser
 const metricsRoleBindingName = "project-v4-multigroup-metrics-binding"
 
 var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
+	var controllerPodName string
+
 	// Before running the tests, set up the environment by creating the namespace,
 	// installing CRDs, and deploying the controller.
 	BeforeAll(func() {
@@ -82,12 +84,53 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 		_, _ = utils.Run(cmd)
 	})
 
+	// After each test, check for failures and collect logs, events,
+	// and pod descriptions for debugging.
+	AfterEach(func() {
+		specReport := CurrentSpecReport()
+		if specReport.Failed() {
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod logs")
+			cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			controllerLogs, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Controller logs:\n %s", controllerLogs))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Controller logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching Kubernetes events")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "events", "-n", namespace, "--sort-by=.lastTimestamp")
+			eventsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Kubernetes events:\n%s", eventsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Kubernetes events: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching curl-metrics logs")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
+			metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Metrics logs:\n %s", metricsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get curl-metrics logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod description")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "describe", "pod", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			podDescription, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				fmt.Println("Pod description:\n", podDescription)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println("Failed to describe controller pod")
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
 	SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Minute)
 	SetDefaultEventuallyPollingInterval(time.Second)
 
-	// The Context block contains the actual tests that validate the manager's behavior.
 	Context("Manager", func() {
-		var controllerPodName string
 		It("should run successfully", func() {
 			By("validating that the controller-manager pod is running as expected")
 			verifyControllerUp := func(g Gomega) {
@@ -103,7 +146,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 
 				podOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve controller-manager pod information")
-				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(string(podOutput))
+				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(podOutput)
 				g.Expect(podNames).To(HaveLen(1), "expected 1 controller pod running")
 				controllerPodName = podNames[0]
 				g.Expect(controllerPodName).To(ContainSubstring("controller-manager"))
@@ -115,9 +158,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(BeEquivalentTo("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
 			}
-			// Repeatedly check if the controller-manager pod is running until it succeeds or times out.
 			Eventually(verifyControllerUp).Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -150,7 +192,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "endpoints", metricsServiceName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsEndpointReady).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -159,7 +201,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
 					"Metrics server not yet started")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsServerStarted).Should(Succeed())
@@ -181,7 +223,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 					"-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyCurlUp, 5*time.Minute).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -261,7 +303,6 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	var out string
-	var rawJson string
 	verifyTokenCreation := func(g Gomega) {
 		// Execute kubectl command to create the token
 		cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "create", "--raw", fmt.Sprintf(
@@ -273,11 +314,9 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 		output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		rawJson = string(output)
-
 		// Parse the JSON output to extract the token
 		var token tokenRequest
-		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(rawJson), &token)
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(output), &token)
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		out = token.Status.Token
@@ -293,9 +332,8 @@ func getMetricsOutput() string {
 	cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
 	metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve logs from curl pod")
-	metricsOutputStr := string(metricsOutput)
-	Expect(metricsOutputStr).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
-	return metricsOutputStr
+	Expect(metricsOutput).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
+	return metricsOutput
 }
 
 // tokenRequest is a simplified representation of the Kubernetes TokenRequest API response,
diff --git a/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/utils/utils.go b/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/utils/utils.go
index db4ad3f02f6..16a6383783a 100644
--- a/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/utils/utils.go
+++ b/testdata/project-v4-multigroup/test/utils/utils.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func warnError(err error) {
 }
 
 // Run executes the provided command within this context
-func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
+func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) (string, error) {
 	dir, _ := GetProjectDir()
 	cmd.Dir = dir
 
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "running: %s\n", command)
 	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
+		return string(output), fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
 	}
 
-	return output, nil
+	return string(output), nil
 }
 
 // InstallPrometheusOperator installs the prometheus Operator to be used to export the enabled metrics.
diff --git a/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index 191a296fcfb..08f2abd755a 100644
--- a/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ const metricsServiceName = "project-v4-with-plugins-controller-manager-metrics-s
 const metricsRoleBindingName = "project-v4-with-plugins-metrics-binding"
 
 var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
+	var controllerPodName string
+
 	// Before running the tests, set up the environment by creating the namespace,
 	// installing CRDs, and deploying the controller.
 	BeforeAll(func() {
@@ -82,12 +84,53 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 		_, _ = utils.Run(cmd)
 	})
 
+	// After each test, check for failures and collect logs, events,
+	// and pod descriptions for debugging.
+	AfterEach(func() {
+		specReport := CurrentSpecReport()
+		if specReport.Failed() {
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod logs")
+			cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			controllerLogs, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Controller logs:\n %s", controllerLogs))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Controller logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching Kubernetes events")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "events", "-n", namespace, "--sort-by=.lastTimestamp")
+			eventsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Kubernetes events:\n%s", eventsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Kubernetes events: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching curl-metrics logs")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
+			metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Metrics logs:\n %s", metricsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get curl-metrics logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod description")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "describe", "pod", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			podDescription, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				fmt.Println("Pod description:\n", podDescription)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println("Failed to describe controller pod")
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
 	SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Minute)
 	SetDefaultEventuallyPollingInterval(time.Second)
 
-	// The Context block contains the actual tests that validate the manager's behavior.
 	Context("Manager", func() {
-		var controllerPodName string
 		It("should run successfully", func() {
 			By("validating that the controller-manager pod is running as expected")
 			verifyControllerUp := func(g Gomega) {
@@ -103,7 +146,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 
 				podOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve controller-manager pod information")
-				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(string(podOutput))
+				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(podOutput)
 				g.Expect(podNames).To(HaveLen(1), "expected 1 controller pod running")
 				controllerPodName = podNames[0]
 				g.Expect(controllerPodName).To(ContainSubstring("controller-manager"))
@@ -115,9 +158,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(BeEquivalentTo("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
 			}
-			// Repeatedly check if the controller-manager pod is running until it succeeds or times out.
 			Eventually(verifyControllerUp).Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -150,7 +192,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "endpoints", metricsServiceName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsEndpointReady).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -159,7 +201,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
 					"Metrics server not yet started")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsServerStarted).Should(Succeed())
@@ -181,7 +223,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 					"-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyCurlUp, 5*time.Minute).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -247,7 +289,6 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	var out string
-	var rawJson string
 	verifyTokenCreation := func(g Gomega) {
 		// Execute kubectl command to create the token
 		cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "create", "--raw", fmt.Sprintf(
@@ -259,11 +300,9 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 		output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		rawJson = string(output)
-
 		// Parse the JSON output to extract the token
 		var token tokenRequest
-		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(rawJson), &token)
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(output), &token)
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		out = token.Status.Token
@@ -279,9 +318,8 @@ func getMetricsOutput() string {
 	cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
 	metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve logs from curl pod")
-	metricsOutputStr := string(metricsOutput)
-	Expect(metricsOutputStr).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
-	return metricsOutputStr
+	Expect(metricsOutput).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
+	return metricsOutput
 }
 
 // tokenRequest is a simplified representation of the Kubernetes TokenRequest API response,
diff --git a/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/utils/utils.go b/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/utils/utils.go
index db4ad3f02f6..16a6383783a 100644
--- a/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/utils/utils.go
+++ b/testdata/project-v4-with-plugins/test/utils/utils.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func warnError(err error) {
 }
 
 // Run executes the provided command within this context
-func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
+func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) (string, error) {
 	dir, _ := GetProjectDir()
 	cmd.Dir = dir
 
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "running: %s\n", command)
 	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
+		return string(output), fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
 	}
 
-	return output, nil
+	return string(output), nil
 }
 
 // InstallPrometheusOperator installs the prometheus Operator to be used to export the enabled metrics.
diff --git a/testdata/project-v4/test/e2e/e2e_test.go b/testdata/project-v4/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
index 05c8dd232d6..ae761d5b23e 100644
--- a/testdata/project-v4/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
+++ b/testdata/project-v4/test/e2e/e2e_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ const metricsServiceName = "project-v4-controller-manager-metrics-service"
 const metricsRoleBindingName = "project-v4-metrics-binding"
 
 var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
+	var controllerPodName string
+
 	// Before running the tests, set up the environment by creating the namespace,
 	// installing CRDs, and deploying the controller.
 	BeforeAll(func() {
@@ -82,12 +84,53 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 		_, _ = utils.Run(cmd)
 	})
 
+	// After each test, check for failures and collect logs, events,
+	// and pod descriptions for debugging.
+	AfterEach(func() {
+		specReport := CurrentSpecReport()
+		if specReport.Failed() {
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod logs")
+			cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			controllerLogs, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Controller logs:\n %s", controllerLogs))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Controller logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching Kubernetes events")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "events", "-n", namespace, "--sort-by=.lastTimestamp")
+			eventsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Kubernetes events:\n%s", eventsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get Kubernetes events: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching curl-metrics logs")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
+			metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Metrics logs:\n %s", metricsOutput))
+			} else {
+				_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, fmt.Sprintf("Failed to get curl-metrics logs: %s", err))
+			}
+
+			By("Fetching controller manager pod description")
+			cmd = exec.Command("kubectl", "describe", "pod", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
+			podDescription, err := utils.Run(cmd)
+			if err == nil {
+				fmt.Println("Pod description:\n", podDescription)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println("Failed to describe controller pod")
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
 	SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Minute)
 	SetDefaultEventuallyPollingInterval(time.Second)
 
-	// The Context block contains the actual tests that validate the manager's behavior.
 	Context("Manager", func() {
-		var controllerPodName string
 		It("should run successfully", func() {
 			By("validating that the controller-manager pod is running as expected")
 			verifyControllerUp := func(g Gomega) {
@@ -103,7 +146,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 
 				podOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve controller-manager pod information")
-				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(string(podOutput))
+				podNames := utils.GetNonEmptyLines(podOutput)
 				g.Expect(podNames).To(HaveLen(1), "expected 1 controller pod running")
 				controllerPodName = podNames[0]
 				g.Expect(controllerPodName).To(ContainSubstring("controller-manager"))
@@ -115,9 +158,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(BeEquivalentTo("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Running"), "Incorrect controller-manager pod status")
 			}
-			// Repeatedly check if the controller-manager pod is running until it succeeds or times out.
 			Eventually(verifyControllerUp).Should(Succeed())
 		})
 
@@ -150,7 +192,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "get", "endpoints", metricsServiceName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("8443"), "Metrics endpoint is not ready")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsEndpointReady).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -159,7 +201,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 				cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", controllerPodName, "-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
+				g.Expect(output).To(ContainSubstring("controller-runtime.metrics\tServing metrics server"),
 					"Metrics server not yet started")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyMetricsServerStarted).Should(Succeed())
@@ -181,7 +223,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Manager", Ordered, func() {
 					"-n", namespace)
 				output, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 				g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-				g.Expect(string(output)).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
+				g.Expect(output).To(Equal("Succeeded"), "curl pod in wrong status")
 			}
 			Eventually(verifyCurlUp, 5*time.Minute).Should(Succeed())
 
@@ -261,7 +303,6 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	var out string
-	var rawJson string
 	verifyTokenCreation := func(g Gomega) {
 		// Execute kubectl command to create the token
 		cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "create", "--raw", fmt.Sprintf(
@@ -273,11 +314,9 @@ func serviceAccountToken() (string, error) {
 		output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		rawJson = string(output)
-
 		// Parse the JSON output to extract the token
 		var token tokenRequest
-		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(rawJson), &token)
+		err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(output), &token)
 		g.Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		out = token.Status.Token
@@ -293,9 +332,8 @@ func getMetricsOutput() string {
 	cmd := exec.Command("kubectl", "logs", "curl-metrics", "-n", namespace)
 	metricsOutput, err := utils.Run(cmd)
 	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred(), "Failed to retrieve logs from curl pod")
-	metricsOutputStr := string(metricsOutput)
-	Expect(metricsOutputStr).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
-	return metricsOutputStr
+	Expect(metricsOutput).To(ContainSubstring("< HTTP/1.1 200 OK"))
+	return metricsOutput
 }
 
 // tokenRequest is a simplified representation of the Kubernetes TokenRequest API response,
diff --git a/testdata/project-v4/test/utils/utils.go b/testdata/project-v4/test/utils/utils.go
index db4ad3f02f6..16a6383783a 100644
--- a/testdata/project-v4/test/utils/utils.go
+++ b/testdata/project-v4/test/utils/utils.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func warnError(err error) {
 }
 
 // Run executes the provided command within this context
-func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
+func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) (string, error) {
 	dir, _ := GetProjectDir()
 	cmd.Dir = dir
 
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ func Run(cmd *exec.Cmd) ([]byte, error) {
 	_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(GinkgoWriter, "running: %s\n", command)
 	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
 	if err != nil {
-		return output, fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
+		return string(output), fmt.Errorf("%s failed with error: (%v) %s", command, err, string(output))
 	}
 
-	return output, nil
+	return string(output), nil
 }
 
 // InstallPrometheusOperator installs the prometheus Operator to be used to export the enabled metrics.