Quality assurance (QA) is any systematic management process that ensures that products and services are delivered at the required quality level (meet specific requirements).
It plays an invaluable role in the software development lifecycle by finding and eliminating bugs so that users do not come across them unexpectedly when using the software.
To begin this process, take a holistic approach in reviewing requirements and documents because it will define the rest of the quality assurance life cycle. The document may take the form of a graph, a functional specification, or even a chart. Whatever form the document may take, ensure that you conduct an in-depth review because it will determine the procedures used in the later stages of the quality assurance testing.
During the review stage, the QA engineers begin their work by reviewing the requirements and documentation for completeness, redundancies, clarity, consistency, executable, and verifiability. The goal is to examine the system’s architecture for inconsistencies.
Once the requirements and documentation have been established, it’s time to start creating a test plan and test cases. An accurate test plan is critical to the success of any QA testing regime, so you need to allocate sufficient time and resources to ensure that the testing process is carried out without any failures, and in the shortest time possible. The plan will involve writing test cases that describe actions quality assurance engineers and other members of the team will take to ensure that the piece of software functions as planned. When the test plan has been created, the QA team starts executing the test cases.
The QA engineers perform a smoke test first to verify that the software, or its module, function as planned. When this test is successful, further investigations begin. The next test that is carried out is the integration testing which checks whether the different components of the software work as a single system. Immediately after that, the QA engineers conduct a performance test which includes load testing (verifies system behavior for normal and expected peak load) and stress testing (determines the critical load after which the system breaks down). When passed, a security testing is done to make sure that the solution has adequate protection level.
The next testing done is the cross-browser testing to verify that the software runs seamlessly on different browsers (Mozilla, Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Phone). This test is especially valuable for web and hybrid apps. The final testing that is performed is the regression testing which detects bugs in the previously tested code.
When the QA engineers discover any bug during the testing process, the bug is recorded and reported to the developer to fix the issue. Once the developer fixes this issue, he or she informs the appropriate QA engineers who then verify it.
The manual QA system is usually faced with the challenge of sorting out test cases according to priority and also the challenge of understanding the requirements. But an automated system maps out the whole QA process on the system according to priority, with notes explaining the essence of every process.
The manual quality assurance process is labor intensive and prone to human error. Automation increases the accuracy of the quality assurance process, ensuring that software is developed at highest quality levels. The automated process is also faster, which means that solutions are able to get to the market in the shortest time possible.
Customers demand constant improvements in the quality of products from their suppliers. Automation ensures that every task in the QA process is executed in a consistent manner, resulting in the production of reliable results. This guarantee of reliability and consistency means that you can start developing more high quality and feature-filled solutions that meet the demands of your customers.
Automation optimizes the flow of information throughout the stages of the quality assurance process. With just a click of the mouse, every member of the team can have access to information in real time and also track the progress of other team members. The automation system prevents tasks from slipping through the cracks by telling the next person in the chain that it’s their turn in line.
By moving repetitive tasks to scripts, QA automation eliminates monotonous tasks and frees up more time your team to focus on more interesting and challenging work. They can now focus on building their confidence and improving their relationship with customers.
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