Quality Assurance was, and remains, an underrated aspect of software development. It refers to a set of activities and procedures that ensure software products and processes conform to set requirements and standards. For most businesses, it’s viewed as a hindrance rather than a necessity.

In this blog, we seek to highlight what quality assurance in software testing is, how it works, and why you need it.

Software Testing

Software testing began a long time ago with the introduction of IBM computers. Multiple PCs were created that were different from one another in terms of hardware specifications. This required for software to be developed, so that it could  run the same on every system. From here on, the origins of software testing.

The software development life cycle, or SDLC, begins with gathering information regarding a client’s business requirements. This is followed by design, mockups, developments, maintenance, and testing. The Quality Assurance team is involved in every stage and ensures the smooth running of each procedure.

Importance of Testing and Quality Assurance

The testing and QA phase may be viewed as an unnecessary addition, perhaps because it further delays the actual launch date. At times, clients may even pressure manufacturers to speed up the entire process. After all, if testing is simply “viewed” as an additional task, little importance will be given to the process, the success of which depends upon thorough and rigorous testing.

From a developer’s perspective – no matter how qualified – it’s impossible to completely rid software of bugs and defects. Without the proper quality assurance measures, it’s highly likely that a problem surfaces after delivery, resulting in malfunctions that are significantly more expensive to rectify than finding and fixing during the testing phase. In fact, according to one report, the economy suffered an estimated loss of $1.7 trillion resulting from software failures, leading to a cumulative downtime of 268 years affecting 3.8 billion people worldwide.

Benefits of Testing

The benefits of quality assurance can be summed up as follows:

• Quality: Testing allows bugs to be fixed before the software becomes fully operational. Costs of early detection and repair are minuscule compared to those of detecting defects later. The final product is based on quality.
• User Experience: The UX is everything, since the product is created to deliver a specific solution. Testing ensures such solutions are simple, easy to use, and bug-free.
• Cost Savings: Testing helps reduce heavy expenditures made on maintenance.
• Customer Satisfaction: A satisfied customer increases brand image and leads to future sales.

The primary goal of quality assurance is to ensure the software is useful and reliable enough to generate profits for the business. Outcoding provides quality assurance in software testing services that ensure your software is completely bug and risk-free before ending up in the hands of your customers. Contact us today for more information.