Software Quality Assurance Approaches
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Although software quality assurance approaches are emphasized as being crucial to the development process, are you aware of what these letters “QA” actually mean? Let us refresh our knowledge.
Quality assurance is a multifaceted process that involves many experts with various specialties and goes beyond simply testing finished software. Quality control work begins far before the actual coding phase and continues even after the product is made available to the public.
Typically, the purpose of quality assurance (QA) in an organization is the gathering, analysis, and reporting of data. Quality assurance is essentially a benchmarking and assessment process rather than a performance management program.
Because an end-user product is developed in every industry, quality control is crucial. A website you see online could appear to be good at first, but as you scroll down, switch to a different page, or attempt to send a contact request, it may start to exhibit certain design problems and flaws.
However, a software testing process can be difficult to set up. The processes involved are:
- Planning
- Execution
- Reporting
Planning
A quality assurance technician or manager will establish precise goals to manufacture high-quality products and make sure the team comprehends the consumer objectives, the primary function of the product, any potential risks they may need to manage, and the results they hope to achieve during this first, important stage. Testing procedures are often preceded by careful planning and preparations, much like any other formal process.
Test strategy is another byproduct of the planning phase and is also referred to as test methodology or architecture. The techniques can be categorized as preventive or reactive depending on exactly when in the process they are implemented. Additionally, other methods can be applied singly or in combination.
Test plans take a more practical approach, completely detailing what to test, how to test, when to test, and who will do the test. It covers every testing step separately and it is often updated by the project manager throughout the process whereas test strategies are high-level documents that relate to a project as a whole.
An IEEE standard for software test documentation specifies that a test plan document must have at least the following details:
- The name of the test plan
- Introduction
- References (list of related documents)
- Tests items (the product and its versions)
- Testing features
- The test strategy (testing levels, types, techniques)
- Standards for suspension
- Deliverables
- Test Reports, Test Cases, Test Scripts, Defect/Enhancement Logs)
- Estimates
- Risks
- Hypotheses and Dependencies
- Approvals
Design and Execution
The setting up of the testing environment is the next phase of test execution. The major criterion for this section is ensuring that the testing environment (hardware and software) is as similar to the end user’s actual environment as possible. In a nutshell, a test case outlines the prerequisites, objectives, and postconditions of a specific test scenario that is intended to confirm that a feature satisfies the fundamental criteria.
The two main categories in the software testing process are static testing and dynamic testing.
Static Testing
Static testing, which is also known as non-execution technique testing or verification testing, can be carried out as inspections, and formal and technical reviews during walkthrough meetings. The review meeting is where the errors discovered by the QA analysts are discussed and recorded in the review report.
In the early stages of the software testing life cycle, static testing looks at the source code and project papers to find and avoid errors.
Dynamic Testing
Dynamic testing involves testing the program while it is being used. It is the most effective and widely used method of validating code behavior. The ways the tests are carried out are called software testing methodologies. Some examples are black box testing, white box testing, gray box testing, and ad hoc testing.
Software testing types are the methodologies and procedures used at a specific level using the best possible approach to satisfy the test requirements.
Reporting and Documentation
There are “exit criteria” that determine if “enough testing” was carried out depending on the project’s risk assessment. This is because testing is never quite finished and there is no such thing as perfect software.
The majority of departure criteria share the following characteristics:
- The execution of the test case is finished.
- A system doesn’t contain any serious flaws.
- Despite the addition of new features, system performance is consistent.
- The program is compatible with all required browsers and/or platforms.
- Testing for user acceptance is finished.
- The testing is finished as soon as each of these requirements (or any other standards you have established for your project) is satisfied.
Throughout the process of running the tests, logs and status reports are recorded. Each product flaw should be disclosed and dealt with appropriately. A retrospective meeting is held by the team to identify and record any problems that arose during development and to make improvements.
However, because the amount of formal testing documentation being created is steadily declining, this tendency highlights the need for testing to be streamlined across the board.
Conclusion
In the process of developing a product, quality assurance should not be thought of as a single stage. From the discovery stage to product release and beyond, including support and maintenance, the set of QA best practices indicated above should be followed.
Although it is not required to use all of these software quality assurance approaches for quality assurance in a single project, in order to fit the requirements of intended users, a strong and experienced QA team will select the appropriate strategy and set of tools.
Because of the experience they’ve garnered from past projects, the process will run smoothly, and the final output will be of great quality.
The company you choose for your QA checks goes a long way in your software testing. Try out Front Tribe and have exclusive access to their pool of experienced experts. From design and development to functioning, Front Tribe completes quality assurance to the dot and ensures that everything is optimized.
