Today we are going to talk about one of the most important roles in software development and one of the most sought-after jobs in software development.
We are talking about software quality assurance (SQA). It is not only a painstaking process but the responsibilities of quality assurance (QA) in software development cannot be ignored.
The role of quality assurance in software development can only be said in a few words and it is to find out mistakes before the client finds out.
There are a lot of QA processes that require QA specialists. They are usually senior software developers with their own tried and tested testing methodologies. While everyone has their own way of testing out the software for issues but there are a few industry standards that everyone follows.
We will be talking about those standards in the software development life cycle so that you might understand what is test planning or even test automation.
We will help you understand test case design in QA and it is going to be a very important as well as a very interesting blog for you.
So, let us start this Blog by understanding what is quality assurance in software development.
What Exactly Is Quality Assurance (QA)?
The simplest example of quality assurance is when quality assurance specialists do multiple tests on the software after its final deployment in order to make sure that there are no issues with the system.
This is quite an important step of software development as the specialists check out for things like compatibility issues and performance issues.
The specialists also check for bugs and simulate different situations to check out the performance of the software and make sure that the software is running smoothly no matter the load.
Quality assurance is usually done keeping in mind the quality standards of the company and that is why this is not something standardised across the industry.
Let Us Understand the Role of QA In Maintenance and Deployment
The thing you have to understand with quality assurance is that it is usually activated after deployment when the software is live. However, in other development models quality assurance can be activated before deployment but it is rare.
Quality assurance specialists are called in advance and reminded when the software is going to go live and when the deployment is being done so that they can stay alert and check out different variables.
The thing about maintenance is that it becomes a daily task or regular task of the quality assurance team to perform maintenance on the software and to check out the performance of the software after deployment.
This means that this dedicated team not only carries out tests after deployment but they also keep on testing the software after new features are added or even if a new update is released.
They just start their work after deployment.
In order to understand more about this, we are going to talk about the role of quality assurance in the different aspects of software development.
Role Of QA in Software Lifecycle
QA During the Initial Analysis
The quality assurance team starts with the initial analysis after the deployment and this is really a team consisting of different members of the software development team as well as the quality assurance team.
You can call this a checklist because this is when everything is checked in order to find out if there are any gaps in the logic and if there might be any bottlenecks in the system.
A lot of variables are checked in order to find out if the software development is successful and whether optimum performance is being reached.
When the initial analysis is done, a few important members are required during the meetings which includes the quality assurance engineers and test analysts for support.
They are guided by the quality assurance team leader who will play a major role during the testing process.
The other people involved during the analysis are the test managers as they form a bridge between client feedback and the quality assurance team.
QA During the Requirement Planning
The quality assurance team is a necessity during every step of the software development process and they are especially required during the requirement planning stage of the software life cycle.
The quality assurance team are there to look at requirements and find out if the code has any logic gaps or if they might face any issues after the deployment.
This is the stage before the final code is written and this is when they find out if there are any gaps in the whole planning as well.
That is why quality assurance is highly regarded in any software company and the quality assurance team usually consists of senior developers with a lot of experience.
QA During Design and Development
The thing with quality assurance is that it can never be completely shut down and this means the quality assurance team is active during the design process.
The design process comes after the requirement planning and it is yet another opportunity for the team to find out any flaws in the planning.
Which then moves on to the development stage of the process and that is where they start the preparation for all the tests that are about to be started.
This is the moment in which the quality assurance team gets hands-on with the software and this is when they are very important.
QA During Deployment and Testing
This is when the quality assurance team becomes active as they launch a lot of manual as well as automated tests. Some of these tests are a result of observations and others are automatic tests that are usually run after every deployment.
This is when they are in close contact with the customer feedback team so that they can get inputs on all the bugs.
They carry out different kinds of tests which include integration tests to check out if modules are working together.
They also carry out unit tests as well as different system tests which make sure entire systems are running properly.
The quality assurance team is at an all-time high priority during this stage of the process. This is because if they fail to find out any issues with the software then the users are going to face those issues.
This Is Why the Quality Assurance Team Is Important
Maintains The Quality of The Software
The primary goal of quality assurance is to maintain the quality of the software whether it is through functional and nonfunctional testing or manual and automated testing.
The quality assurance team only has one goal and it is to make sure that the software is performing its intended purpose and that it is reliable as well as stable.
That is why they perform so many tests such as the unit as well as integration and system tests only to make sure that the software is meeting the requirements set by the team leaders.
Saves Money for The Company
Software bugs and issues can be very costly for the software development company simply because it not only makes the experience of the users bad but it also gives the company a very bad reputation.
There are thousands of software development companies working on similar software and if a company faces software issues then they can simply be out of the game.
That is why the quality assurance team works on the philosophy of prevention rather than cure so that any bugs might be prevented.
They Make Compliance Very Easy
Quality assurance is not just making sure that the software is running properly but it is also making sure that the software is following the regulated norms set by the industry.
These norms can be security norms as well as privacy norms. They can be rules set by different religions and the QA team ensures that they are followed.
The quality assurance team is simply there to make sure that there are no hiccups during the software development process.
If there are any problems during the process then they ensure that those are sorted out.
They Think About the Users
The primary job of the quality assurance team is to look at everything from the point of view of the end user’s user experience (UX).
This means that every step they take and every test they plan out is so that the software runs smoothly for the customers and that the customers do not face any issues.
That is why they also always keep the reputation of the company in mind because the customer experience is directly related to the company’s reputation.
This kind of thought process is really important in any company that deals with quality assurance as well as quality control because the regular development team is too busy with software development.
That is why the quality assurance team has to look at the bigger picture and what is at stake for the company if they fail to do the job.
QA Follows Different Approaches
The Classical Approach
This is the traditional method and it is also known as the Waterfall approach because this is done sequentially where only after each phase is completed then the next one is touched.
There is no flexibility in this process as every step needs to be completed before the next one is carried out.
While this is the time-consuming method of doing quality assurance but it is also the most involved and meticulous method of quality assurance.
The Agile Approach
The Agile approach is often called the modern approach of software development and this approach is also maintained during the quality assurance process.
This approach does not follow a specified sequential process and it is simply done when needed and how needed.
The Six Sigma Approach
This is a data-driven approach and it is completely different than any other approach. This is where data is utilised and different tools are utilised to find out any deficiencies in the software and any logic gap.
This is a very efficient approach and this approach is usually carried out for high-efficiency results where problems are found out easily and solutions are brought to the table If the data says so.
Then there are other kinds of approaches such as the continuous integration and deployment approach which is the fastest approach for the quality assurance team.
We must also mention the lean approach which is a very efficient approach that results in cutting down features and steps that are not needed.
You might also come across the DevOps approach where excellent team coordination is required. Other popular types of approach include the test-driven approach as well as the risk-based approach.
We would love to create a whole new blog about all the different kinds of approaches when it comes to software development as well as quality assurance.
Quality assurance is one of the most important aspects of software development and it can make or break a company.
Quality assurance is the filter by which all issues are detected before they come to notice. That is why if you plan on getting yourself a software for your e-commerce business then you must definitely focus on quality assurance.
And if you are looking for a reliable software development company in India with one of the finest quality assurance teams then we are here for you.
We are Think To Share IT Solutions and we are one of the most reported software development companies in India where we create enterprise-grade software for different industries as well as mobile apps.
We welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we do and we are sure we will be able to create the best software for your company.
Common Quality Assurance FAQ
What is the role of software quality assurance in software development?
Quality assurance is one of the most important aspects of software development and the quality assurance team plays an even more important role.
Quality assurance plays an important role in the entire planning process of the software and in finding out the software requirements.
The quality assurance team is involved throughout the life cycle of the software right from the planning stages to the deployment.
They also maintain standards and maintain different industry compliances so that the software is never breaking any rules.
Quality assurance is important because it always thinks about the user experience as a priority and aims to prevent issues from happening in the first place rather than correcting them later on.
This is done through a series of tests so that different components of the software and different functions of the software at tested for any defects.
They also deal with a lot of data in order to make sure the performance of the software is optimised.
If you want to describe software quality assurance in short then it is simply a team of senior software developers that are looking at the bigger picture in order to find out if there are any gaps in the software development and if any future problems might plague the software performance.
What is the role of QA and QC in software testing?
Quality assurance (QA) as well as quality control (QC) are quite similar when it comes to software development but they have different roles and functions to play.
Quality assurance deals with the improvement of different development processes and quality assurance believes in prevention rather than solving the issue when it happens.
However, quality control is a much more hands-on exercise of maintaining the quality of the software through various tests and checks. Quality control simply makes changes to different issues and solves them and quality assurance predicts future issues.