All you need to know about Quality Assurance in Software Testing

The most important part of any business in today’s world is the final quality of the product it produces. There is no explanation for any kind of flaws in a structure which could have been easily avoided and there is no design or concept which can overcome such glaring discrepancies. It is exactly where the role of software testing quality assurance comes into play. Software has become an integral and indispensable part of lifestyles. Any glitch in working of software leads to a complete halt in the whole activity which it supports thereby making the whole function come to a stand-still till the repairs are taken up. This is the reason why quality assurance has gained significance over time. It ensures that the software will work the way it is designed to work to produce the desired outcome.

What is Quality Assurance?

It is an umbrella term which basically covers the whole process of software development. It basically involves the improvement of the software development process aimed at the prevention of problems before they become too costly to be resolved. Thus, Software Quality Assurance comprises continuous monitoring of the processes and ensures that the standards and procedures are followed at all levels of development. Thus, the Quality Assurance team must be completely unbiased and needs to enjoy the authority to a certain extent to be able to monitor every aspect. Thus, sound quality assurance leads to the production of high-quality software. It often also uses the data from other processes like joint reviews, audits, verification, and validation.

Tasks Involved in Quality Assurance

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  Implementation of the Process: In this process, the design team works with both the development and Software Quality Assurance Teams to prepare a software development process. The designed process is then synchronized with verification and validation, joint review and other audits which run together. Finally, a plan is made for various process activities and tasks of quality assurance. The plan is properly documented and stored.

  
  
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  Assurance of the Product: This involves documentation of all the plans and tasks. Even the execution of the plans was documented to ensure that all the obligations of the contract were completely kept and honoured.

  
  
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  Process Assurance: Under this, assurance is given that the process of the software so designed is in compliance with all the contract provisions and process development plans.

  
  
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  Quality Systems Assurance: Under this, the team members of the Software Quality Assurance monitor the development process and take into account various parameters of the software for arriving at a final decision about the assurance of the same.

  
  

Elements of Quality Assurance

A Software Quality Assurance specialist has to basically ensure that the whole process is in compliance with the pre-defined standards thereby testing various parts of the workflow under every possible scenario of user experience. In software QA training the various elements of quality assurance are as follows:

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  Determining the root of the problem.

  
  
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  Analysis of the extent of effort and engagement which is required to solve the problem encountered.

  
  
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  Chalking out the best way of doing the same.

  
  
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  Considering all the possible consequences in case of any changes which are introduced in the due course.

  
  

All the above elements are usually applied to the following areas:

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  Functionality: This involves an inspection of suitability, the correctness of the vital parts, and implementation while interacting with other parts of the system.

  
  
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  Reliability: This includes carrying out various scenarios to recover the software to its full potential.

  
  
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  Usability: This basically involves testing the whole user interface keeping in mind various nodes of user experience.

  
  

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Benefits of Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance is considered as your best companion which is needed for the delivery of state-of-the-art software. Here is a list of benefits of the same:

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  Cost-Effective: Any software which has incurred faults will require a lot of money for correction. In addition, it also costs the business users, clients and even credibility which it has gained over time. It is a common fact that when a bug stays in the software for a long time as it goes undetected, it will become costlier to fix it. Thus, when one employs dedicated quality assurance testing all through the process of development, it will save both time and money.

  
  
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  Prevention of Corporate Emergencies: In the case of corporations, the stakes are even higher. Any bug that incorporates software often results in system blackouts, the breakdown of communication channels and even missing some vital data. Thus, in the case of corporate software, the business has to make sure that the whole software is working exactly how it needs to work, without any scope for error.

  
  
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  Maintains Client Confidence: Having a dedicated team for quality assurance sends a message to the clients that you keep software security as a priority and that your business values their software as well. This is highly helpful when you want to maintain long-term relationships and build goodwill in the market.

  
  
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  User Experience: User Experience usually makes or breaks a product and market credibility. Any glitches or speed issues in the software have a severe hit on the user experience. Bad user experience not only leads to dissatisfaction but also can take away your clients forever. Also, a satisfied user is more likely to recommend your business to others.

  
  
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  Boost in Productivity and Efficiency: When your business is satisfied with the quality of the software, you will have more peace and will be productive with your time.

  
  

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Conclusion

Thus, the primary objective of employing Software Quality Assurance is to ensure the whole process of development can be measured and controlled regularly so that there is no scope for any glitches. This also ensures that all the errors or bugs if any are fixed while it is still inexpensive to do so. This also improves the software quality in addition to improvement of the process of software creation. It is vital for the development of software as it ensures a smooth development process. Good quality software will also keep your clients or users glued to your applications.