For many businesses today, ensuring the flawless operation of their business platform is crucial to the viability (and survival) of the business. Hence, software quality assurance (QA) activities and testing are an essential element. There are many benefits that quality assurance can bring to the success and growth of a business, from visual to functional aspects, including monitoring and process automation.

In this article, at Intellisource, the best software development firm, we share what Quality Assurance in software development is all about and why—if you haven’t already—you should enable it for your business.

Understanding Quality Assurance (QA)

Quality Assurance (QA) is part of an organization’s quality management activities. As per ISO 9000, QA is defined as the part of quality management focused on ensuring that quality requirements are met. This seemingly simple definition contains a deeper conception of quality, since QA has a focus more on processes than on the final product or service.

In the case of software development projects, a “QA” (Quality Assurance) or QA Analyst is the professional responsible for ensuring the quality of the software – on which, for example, online stores are built – and preventing failures in it . This is the person in charge of guaranteeing the correct functioning of the product from the very first moment. But also of confirming that it meets the expectations of the users who will use it.

Simply put, if you are a business owner, QA professionals are the ones who will help you ensure that everything runs smoothly and that your customers’ shopping experience goes smoothly, thus benefiting your business.

Key Objectives of QA

After several years of experience with various brands and clients, at Intellisource we can say that including a QA strategy and Quality Assurance in software development has multiple objectives.

Some of them are:

1. Improving Product Quality: Quality assurance helps ensure that software is developed according to specifications and that it works as expected. This reduces the number of errors and flaws in the final product, improving its quality and increasing end-customer satisfaction.

2. Cost Savings: Fixing bugs and errors in software can be costly and time- consuming. By incorporating QA into the business strategy, errors can be identified and fixed before they reach the end user, saving time and money in the long run. This is especially crucial in the context of high inflation or other crises.

3. Increased Efficiency: Quality assurance can help identify and fix performance issues, allowing software to run more efficiently. This improves things like page load speed, navigation, and overall user experience.

4. Building User Trust: When an e-commerce website is working properly, customers trust it and are willing to return on a recurring basis. Incorporating QA into the business strategy helps improve the reliability and security of the software, which boosts user trust and ultimately helps increase sales.

5. Early Problem Identification: QA helps identify problems in software before users encounter them. This allows issues to be addressed in a timely manner and reduces the likelihood of customers experiencing software bugs or glitches, or negatively impacting their online experience.

Importance of Quality Assurance

The importance lies mainly in delivering products of expected quality, where future risks are prevented. Likewise, all software can have errors that end up being responsible for large losses of money for the company. It should be noted that the later defects or errors are detected, the greater the consequences can be.

Knowing each of the indicators of the software quality process and how your product is performing is essential to provide clear solutions to the needs of users, from an easy-to-use and comfortable perspective. The objective is for it to support all requirements, be friendly, safe, useful, usable, stable and satisfy the needs and requirements of the user without presenting failures or errors.

Since software quality testing reviews, monitors and examines the way in which the product performs, it is possible to have a final report establishing whether or not the software meets the user’s expectations, depending on the reason for which it was made. At the same time, the accuracy and reliability of the processes supported by each of the tests carried out are checked: functional and non- functional.

QA Processes and Methodologies

The need to implement a QA Methodology that contributes to regulatory, operational and project compliance emerges strongly. This Methodology must operate from the user’s side, ensure an optimal level of compliance and provide the necessary guidelines to promptly remedy any non-compliance before being observed by any regulatory body, resulting in operational overruns or degrading the relationship with Stakeholders.

The essential elements of the QA Methodology will be the following:

• Identifying a Control Environment

In order to implement a QA methodology that ensures the company’s internal and external regulatory compliance, as well as the correct execution of projects and verification of the quality of the operation, it is necessary to identify each of the Standards, Guidelines, Operating Methodologies, Operating Processes and Controls. This activity is essential since it is used to generate verification Scorecard matrices that will help the QA to obtain the desired levels of compliance.

• Risk Management

This activity begins with a diagnosis and identification of the risks existing in the company, considering as such those that could affect the good progress and image of the corporation, as well as the fulfillment of its objectives and its goals of growth, competitiveness and profitability.

Based on a Risk Control Matrix that is built from the analysis of processes, each and every one of the risks identified in the company’s operation will be detailed. This matrix will cover Company Exposure, Legal, Financial, Operational, Commercial, Systems and Business risks. Likewise, a roadmap must be contemplated in order to mitigate, eliminate, transfer or accept (as the case may be) each one of these risks.

• Operation from user side

It is essential that the QA implemented by the company operates from the user’s point of view, since they are responsible for producing all the evidence necessary to meet the expected compliance levels. Likewise, it is important that this methodology does not have contact with regulatory bodies (internal and external) since in this way the efficiency of the QA can be ensured.

Likewise, it is recommended that the QA be operated by expert and external personnel to avoid becoming judge and party of the methodology.

• Continuous Improvement

The final phase of applying this QA methodology will consist of generating a process control environment that allows maintaining an optimal level of regulatory compliance in the operation and implementation of projects.

This methodology must be designed with the intention of supporting any control framework that the business requires. It should also help maintain and monitor the maturity level of the controls, while the audit area may increase the scope or tighten the evaluation criteria.

Advantages and Benefits of having a QA Methodology.

• Increased confidence from stakeholders
• Improved relationship with auditors and regulatory bodies.
• Establishing an accessible, clear and structured regulatory compliance model.
• Regulatory compliance model expandable to the entire group or other companies and/or business units.
• Be prepared to comply with the certifications that are considered essential for the company.
• Efficient real-time audit support.
• Prevention of sanctions by regulatory bodies and their potential economic impact on the business.
• Integration and hierarchical structure of information.
• Control and availability of information.
• The participation of external experts provides a fresh, specialized, impartial vision enriched by other experiences and a proven methodology.

QA Tools and Technologies

A QA testing team typically uses a combination of tools and technologies to perform its work. This includes tools used for tasks such as software development, system administration, and data analysis. Additionally, QA testing teams may use specialized tools for specific tasks or to track the progress of specific projects.

Intellisource provides a comprehensive solution to organize your test cases, execute tests, collect results, and coordinate testing efforts. Thanks to its intuitive user interface, testers will be productive right away. Because it’s a Web solution, nothing needs to be installed for members of your testing team.

This makes it really easy to try Intellisource in your environment, and will also ensure a frictionless roll-out later on should you decide to adopt our QA team.

Use integrated task lists and time tracking mechanisms to ensure that the work is distributed across your QA team effectively. It also allows you to automatically project past estimates and actual time spent into the future to predict workload more accurately – a unique feature among Quality Assurance tools.

Some of the most used ones by QA testing teams are:

• Software development environments (IDE)
• Computer systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux)
• Network connectivity
• Software testing frameworks
• Test Management Systems (TMS)
• Data analysis and reporting tools.