Why is Quality Assurance Important in Software Development?
A few months ago, we published a post listing some of the most expensive software mistakes. The incidents listed demonstrated clearly why Quality Assurance (QA) is an important consideration in software development.
What is QA?
QA is an umbrella term that covers all aspects of guaranteeing a high-quality software product. It includes creating processes for each stage of development to reduce flaws and bugs during the build, as well as measuring the quality of the software.
The QA department is responsible for reducing the probability of bugs occurring during development through carefully thought out processes, as well as identifying any errors that do come up during the build and fixing them. It is essential for creating superior products that are free from bugs.
What is the Role of QA in Software Development?
A QA team, working on piece of software, will work with a Solution Architect to analyse the requirements, define the parameters that determine if the product meets their needs, and create a set of testing cases and scripts. These are then used to ensure that the client is getting what they want.
The team also supervises the execution of these test cases and scripts, and will perform manual testing to ensure that they are all working as required, without any bugs. They also test the final product before it is handed over to the client as part of quality control.
The Importance of QA in Software Development
Saves Time and Money
The advantage of having systems and processes in place during development is that they anticipate and prevent most bugs and flaws from developing in the first place. As a result, the errors that do surface are relatively minor, and can be fixed easily.
On the other hand, without QA, most bugs would potentially be bigger and may only be caught in the testing phase, or after the program was released. Fixing these bugs after the fact would require more time, which in turn could cost more.
Maintains Product Quality
QA processes are designed to ensure that the software product works reliably and is stable. In addition, there are Quality Control (QC) tests designed to test the functionality, performance, security, usability, and more.
Furthermore, these tests also consider the fact that the user might not use the program as it was intended. Part of this testing is to ‘idiot-proof’ the product so that improper use does cause failure.
As a result, the final product has minimal defects and is guaranteed to work as intended.
Ensures Security
Whilst a software program might perform all functions as intended, it may not necessarily be completely secure. If there are any weakness in its defences, the product and users’ data could be compromised.
One of the reasons QA is so important in software development is to ensure that your product is built with security in mind, and has been tested properly to ensure that the safeguards in place work.
Protects Your Reputation
The quality of your software can reflect on your company and brand. By releasing a high-quality product that offers excellent features with comprehensive security, you can build a positive reputation for your business.
This is where the importance of QA in software development is most evident. It ensures that your product serves as a fitting brand ambassador for your business.
Customer Satisfaction
In order to ensure satisfied customers, your product needs to fulfil their needs. It should have all the features required and work properly. The role of QA is exactly that – to make sure that the software gives your customers exactly what they expect.
The QA team would define the features of the deliverables and then work through each step of the development process to ensure that they are being delivered. They then check to see if the software works smoothly and without any problems. As a result, customers get a quality product that they are happy to use.
Conclusion
As you have read, QA is very important in software development as it ensures your software is built efficiently and is finished with minimal flaws and bugs. Without it, software development could be quite unreliable, with products potentially requiring complete do-overs if flaws proved too widespread or intrinsic.
