What Is Quality Assurance & Why Is It Essential?

If you’ve decided to build a new mobile app, you might find yourself asking:

What is Quality Assurance in software development?

The Quality Assurance team’s adventure begins right from the very first stages of product development, where they plan the roadmap for the app’s success through rigorous testing and clearly-defined standards and processes.

In this article, you’ll learn all about Quality Assurance processes, the importance of QA testing, and how it all relates to software security.

In software development, Quality Assurance (QA) refers to the processes that aim to ensure that a software product meets certain standards and works as intended.

The focus of a product Quality Assurance system is to test for and identify any technical errors by implementing rigorous processes — this involves thorough planning, documentation, testing, and reviews to ensure the application meets all requirements.

To do so, QA testers normally follow a well-documented process, with clear quality objectives and standards. This encompasses various techniques, including quality audit and statistical process control, which enables organisations to monitor and control quality throughout the development lifecycle. As part of their role, they are responsible for testing and documenting their results to ensure the product is ready for launch.

The continuous improvement aspect of Quality Assurance allows organisations to identify areas for growth and implement the right fixes and solutions long-term.

For starters, “QA plays a crucial role in ensuring quality and giving sign-off before the application is launched.” says Umesh Nepal, QA lead at EB Pearls.

QA experts aim for continuous improvement, monitoring feedback, and analysing metrics to ensure the software application is ready to be released.

By doing so, Quality Assurance focuses on enabling companies to earn the trust of their users who value their reliable, high-quality, and secure software.

In this competitive and ever-changing landscape of software development, Quality Assurance remains a crucial component for delivering exceptional digital products.

QA works to ensure that a product is reliable and performs as intended before release. By conducting thorough testing and taking great quality control measures, QA identifies any technical issues and documents the entire process for the development team to further improve the product and win over their user base.

QA establishes guidelines and standards that promote consistent quality throughout the development or production lifecycle. This way, organisations can deliver products that are consistently high-quality, which helps build customer trust and loyalty in the long run.

QA experts are also responsible for understanding the needs and behaviour of potential users and then making sure the product meets their expectations. By engaging in comprehensive planning, documentation, and cross-team communication, QA teams ensure that the final product aligns with what the users want and expect from the app.

QA focuses not only on the functional aspects of the application but also on the overall user experience. By conducting various tests, QA teams can identify and address any usability issues, ensuring that the product is intuitive, easy to use, and provides a seamless experience — contributing to increased customer confidence and satisfaction.

Consistently delivering high-quality products through effective QA practices will also help you build a strong brand reputation. Positive recommendations and reviews from satisfied customers will contribute to your brand’s credibility and attract new customers.

As with most things in life and business, QA teams also face their fair share of challenges along the way, including:

However, with the right set of skills, knowledge, and mindset, they can easily overcome these obstacles. The importance of quality assurance is emphasized by acknowledging that applications are never completely bug-free, and the QA’s role extends beyond identifying bugs to analysing the application’s future performance,” says Umesh Nepal, QA lead at EB Pearls.

Security testing in QA assesses software’s ability to protect data, withstand attacks, and comply with industry standards. In this regard, QA experts conduct various tests, including:

By integrating security testing into QA processes, organisations are able to identify vulnerabilities early on, reducing the risk of security breaches while prioritising the safety of their customers’ data.

How does EB Pearls handle the implementation of Quality Assurance practices in a software development project?

Umesh Nepal, QA professional, explains that “it begins with receiving the initial software requirement analysis, or SRS (Software Requirements Spec) briefing, which is then passed on to the Business Analyst team. The QA team reviews the SRS and raises queries. Then we create a plan to outline the testing phases throughout the project using the Sprint method. The test cases are reviewed by our senior QAs or through peer-to-peer review to ensure we’ve got everything covered.”

He continues “We also discuss whether automation is beneficial for that project, with an emphasis on minimising regression testing time and involving developers in the automation process.”

To stay on top of the game, at EB Pearls, we take professional and personal development seriously to make sure we provide the best software development services. This is why we “implement a Personal Development Program (PDP) to keep up with emerging technologies and design learning programs. We also conduct pilot projects to evaluate the efficiency and suitability of new technologies before integrating them into the mainstream process” says Umesh Nepal.

In conclusion, Quality Assurance processes are an integral part of software development and play a vital role in high-quality products.

By implementing effective quality assurance methods and following industry-specific standards in the Quality Assurance process, you can build an app that stands out in the overcrowded software application market.

Contact us to learn more about our software development services and how we can help you build successful applications.