In the diversified world of modern technology, the importance of software quality assurance cannot be ignored because it directly affects the application. According to the 2019 App Uninstall Report, 1 in every two apps are uninstalled, and every month, the companies lose $33,000 due to poor software.
Today, when software establishes itself deeper into our day-to-day activities and systems, worrying about its quality, functionality, and security becomes a priority. Also, when the field is constantly evolving, developers must stay up to date with the latest software testing services, tools, benefits, and their significance.
So, let’s get more insights into software quality assurance and also why it is so significant in the present time. There are various other things to learn and become knowledgeable about in the world of technology. Let’s begin.
What is software quality assurance?
In simple words, software quality assurance signifies the quality of the software. It is the chain of activities like procedure, standards, and implementation. Further, it works along with software development and focuses on the whole development process so that the problem can be highlighted before it becomes a serious issue.
It is, as a result, like a complete program that offers various services and technologies that efficiently manage any product. Being not just an ordinary step of the development process, it works both externally and internally. At the external level, it evaluates the business efficiency, cost maintenance, and reliability.
In the internal space, it majorly focuses on complexity, flexibility, and readability to help the developers to develop any software. As a result, there are four major roles of software quality assurance: defect prevention, rapid improvement, involvement of stakeholders, and risk-based approach.
As per a report by CISQ, the total cost of poor software quality (CPSQ) in the United States for the year 2020 was $2.08 trillion, a 14% rise from 2018 data. However, this report was made during a global pandemic. But now, as technology advances, we can see software grow rapidly and enhance digital lives.
Why is software quality assurance significant?
The significance is supported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which points out that professionals have chosen quality assurance as one of their foremost choices. This is because it saves applications from risk while suggesting risk mitigation strategies and effectively works together with the team of software developers to improve applications.
- Aids in saving extra costs
Development, we all know, is a very tricky thing to do. As a result, a quality assurance process in development ensures that errors do not happen. In addition, this process saves lots of money, thereby helping with fast feedback and prioritized fixes!
- Helps build competitive software
Because of the software quality assurance, software developers are more careful during the development process. Deep testing for different needs like reliability, functionality, authenticity, etc., helps the developers ensure their applications are high-quality.
- Safeguards company’s reputation
Whether a small or a large business, everyone must ensure their applications work as intended before moving to the market. Because if the customers notice the errors before anyone else on the team, it will impact your brand image and reputation.
- Provides advanced security measures
The process of software quality assurance enables organizations to have accurate, hazard-free, and dependable applications. It further enables applications served to comply with industry-specific data privacy and consistency aspects.
- Helps increase customer satisfaction
An app has a basic duty to satisfy the needs of their customers. This process works smoothly without a single malfunction. But with software quality assurance, you can be sure that your applications deliver specifically what your audience expects.
So, as we have understood both the meaning and the significance of quality assurance in software development, it’s time to focus on the components that make it so strong.
What are the attributes of software quality assurance?
These attributes in the software quality assurance process enable software developers to determine the efficiency of a given software application. Hence, the good or bad aspects of the application are decided on these bases. Here is the list of some of the attributes below:
- Usability
Usability pertains to how easy it is for an end-user—for example, application performance, UX design, and accessibility. In addition, the design principles of usability can also enable a good customer experience. Self-learning is highly encouraged through the option texts, tooltips, and info icons that are meaningful.
- Correctness
Correctness means behaving or functioning as the software requirement specification requires. The bugs of this type may be discovered with the help of strict code review checklists, navigations like calculators or form submissions, unit testing, or checking correctness in software quality assurance for such features.
- Maintainability
Maintainability reflects the ability of software developers to add new features or to update existing features with new technology. As a result, it is hinged on the application architecture. The outcome of this is well-architected software, which in turn facilitates cheap and easy maintenance.
- Testability
Ease of testability for QA members on testing the software and logging a defect is another crucial attribute. Today, it is better to use automation testing as it contributes to quick delivery. Therefore, one can automate and test an early-stage application if it’s automation-friendly using automation software, for example, Test Sigma.
- Modifiability
It is the extent of software quality assurance that can accommodate future changes. Consequently, modifiable or flexible software is one that can operate well on any device, platform, and/or OS. As a result, it should be easily interfaced with other software products, third-party software, and libraries.
What are the types of software quality assurance tools?
In the present world of quality assurance in software testing, tools play a major role in applying efficiency, consistency, and collaboration. Choosing the right tools can drastically change the whole process, allowing you to provide final solutions and the best analytics that improve software quality. So, let’s take a look at some of the best QA tools:
- Automation tools
In an era of software development, automation has become a fundamental necessity for developers. As a result, various tools such as Selenium, JUnit, and TestNG have changed the overall way to conduct repetitive and extensive tests. In fact, these tools greatly help ensure consistent results and save time.
- Defect tracking tools
The process of software quality assurance is incomplete without some systematic approaches like identifying, logging, and tracking errors. Thus, tools like JIRA, Bugzilla, and Mantis provide great platforms where mistakes can be highlighted and monitored until they’re fixed.
- Performance testing tools
Analyzing the scalability of the software, especially in times when it is almost ready to enter the market, is difficult but important as well. Hence, there are tools like LoadRunner, Apache JMeter, and NeoLoad, which are designed in a certain way to simulate the number of users and test the overall performance of the software.
- Integration and deployment tools
In the past few years, the popularity of Agile and DevOps has risen rapidly, and because of this, consistency throughout the integration and deployment stages has become fundamental. As a result, tools like Jenkins, Travis CI, and CircleCI can help enable seamless integration and ensure the continuous delivery of quality software.
Conclusion
Software quality assurance is a crucial component of the software development life cycle. The reason? You may be clear about it, but still, it is because it involves regular monitoring of development processes to reduce the chances of errors. In short, we can say that it is a great way for businesses to ensure the best quality of their software products. So, if you are a business looking for software products that stand out, you cannot undermine the importance of SQA in the field of development.
Author’s Bio.
I am a Technical writer and have been associated with Appsierra for the last 2 years. I write about the latest technology tips and provide custom solutions related to project management, quality assurance, and software testing services. AppSierra is renowned for providing an extensive range of services, providing end-to-end testing solutions customized to fit the specific needs of every customer.