A website crash can be chaotic, driving users away due to frustration with flawed technology. As a QA tester, I’ve seen firsthand how software glitches can ruin user experiences, leading to uninstall rates for apps and bugs that harm a company’s reputation. In 2018 alone, poor-quality software cost organizations a staggering $2.8 trillion, highlighting the need for quality software as the foundation of any successful startup. Many companies prioritize expansion over perfection, but this often results in financial setbacks, higher costs, and lower user adoption.

In software development, the debate between improving existing features and releasing new features often leans toward the latter. However, compromising software quality for quick wins can lead to defects, technical debt, and future losses. For instance, over a third of smartphone users abandon apps after encountering bugs, which directly impacts market share and customer demands. To avoid delayed feature delivery and ensure sustained success, following best practices for Quality Assurance Testing is essential in your daily work.

The field of Quality Assurance (QA) has evolved significantly, moving from a sub-discipline of test or product management to a specialized domain with its own methodologies and techniques. Today, quality assurance professionals are in high demand, with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicting a 25 percent increase in jobs between 2022 and 2032.

If you’re looking to start or advance your quality assurance career, options like the University of Leeds’ online course, Foundations of Software Testing and Validation, can help you master industry standard techniques and design effective test cases in just five hours. Whether through certificate programs, certifications, or online courses, investing in quality assurance certificates can open doors to various job titles and help you automate and streamline testing processes for companies worldwide.

Understanding Quality Assurance Testing

Quality Assurance Testing is a process that organizations use to ensure their products and services meet regulations, standards, and customer requirements. It’s not just about finding bugs or errors; it’s about building confidence in the product and ensuring it delivers a seamless User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX). As a QA tester, I’ve seen how faulty technology can lead to frustrating user experiences, which is why the primary objective of Quality Assurance Testing is to validate that the final product aligns with its intended purposes. This involves identifying errors, rectifying redundancies, and confirming logical flow throughout the software development process.

The broader aim of Quality Assurance Testing is to enhance the quality and efficiency of the software development process. Unlike traditional methods where QA testers were involved only at the end of the development cycle, modern practices encourage collaborative work with software developers from the start. This ensures ongoing suggestions and implementations for optimal solutions.

For instance, in industries like the medical industry (e.g, Illumina, B&D), banks (e.g, Citibank), and engineering companies, QA professionals must be skilled in software testing, integration testing, and even unit testing. They also need expertise in scripting languages for automation scripts, system administration, and project management. By following quality standards and procedures, QA engineers help companies deliver high-quality items, build trust with clients, and ensure customer satisfaction.

The Role of Quality Control in QA

Quality control (QC) is a critical part of quality management that ensures product compliance with the standards set by QA. As defined by Investopedia, it’s a process through which a business works to maintain or improve product quality while reducing or eliminating manufacturing errors. While QA activities focus on preventing issues throughout the development process, QC is all about detecting bugs in ready-to-use software and verifying its alignment with requirements before product launch.

This involves code reviews and testing activities carried out by the engineering team, ensuring the final product meets expectations. Unlike quality control testing, Quality Assurance Testing involves process-oriented activities that focus on the final products. Many organizations perform Quality Assurance Testing on existing products on an ongoing basis to identify and execute opportunities for improvement. While professionals often associate QA testing with software development, it’s used across various industries to strengthen outcomes. The Quality Assurance Testing process typically follows four stages: Plan by preparing tests that address potential concerns and standards, 

Do by executing tests under a variety of conditions, Check by evaluating the product and identifying opportunities for improvement, and Act by addressing vulnerabilities revealed during tests. This structured approach ensures that products not only meet but exceed expectations.

Exploring Software Testing Models

When it comes to software testing models, there are four main approaches that QA testers should know. Each model has its unique way of ensuring software quality and meeting stated requirements. Here’s a breakdown:

• Waterfall: This is the classic Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) model. It follows a linear approach where one phase is completed before moving to the next. It starts with a feasibility study, followed by requirement analysis, design, coding, unit testing, integration, system testing, and ends with maintenance.
• Iterative Development: A variation of the SDLC, this model takes a cyclical approach. Stages like planning, requirement analysis, design, implementation, testing, and evaluation are repeated in an incremental fashion, helping to improve each iteration.
• Agile: A team-focused approach, Agile prioritizes customer value and uses short sprints to adapt to changes in software development. Teams collaborate to find the best strategies to meet project goals.
• Extreme Programming: An iteration of Agile, this model focuses on customer satisfaction and solving problems efficiently. Testing starts early, and the goal is to deliver software to the user as quickly as possible.

These models are part of the broader software quality management process, ensuring that testing activities are well-structured and effective. For example, in car manufacturing, a proper quality assurance process ensures that every team member follows commonly accepted guidelines, maintaining consistency and correct order in the overall flow. Similarly, in software development, test engineers use these models to detect and solve technical issues, ensuring the end product is safe, functional, and meets customer needs.

Why QA Testing Matters

Quality Assurance Testing is a game changer for businesses aiming to deliver exceptional products and services. By minimizing human effort and reducing time to market, automation in testing allows tests to be performed 10 times faster than the manual testing process. This testing approach not only covers 90 percent of the code but also unveils issues that might remain visible in manual testing. As the product grows, this scalability ensures that companies can build trust and loyalty with customers by consistently meeting their expectations and needs.

Here’s how QA testing benefits businesses:

• Builds trust: By ensuring products and services are free of bugs, companies can demonstrate credibility and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
• Reduces costs: Preventing defects before releasing products leads to cost reductions, as organizations spend less time on customer support and handling defect reports.
• Enhances safety: QA testing helps organizations notice and repair risky elements, making products safer and preventing incidents in critical industries like health care, manufacturing, and engineering.
• Boosts efficiency: With hands-on training and immediately applicable skills, teams can use relevant tools and methodologies to satisfy the requirements of current job openings.

In today’s current era, the abundance of tools designed to facilitate software testing can be overwhelming. However, by thoroughly analyzing options like Jira, GitHub, Azure DevOps, and Trello, businesses can integrate these platforms into their SCRUM or Kanban workflows to simplify bug tracking, enhance productivity, and visualize app bugs for easy collaboration.