Introduction
A software development company’s responsibility is to design and build a highly efficient product. It ought to ensure that the product passes the quality standards with the help of the Business Analysts, software developers, software Quality Assurance testing teams, etc.
After all, a poorly built product will cause dissatisfaction to the stakeholder. As a result, it causes the brand of the software to suffer as well. Any reputed software development company would never want that. A software QA testing team is an integral part of a software company that ensures delivering a high-quality product to the customer.
This article mainly explains the QA mindset that every Software QA testing team needs to incorporate to function effectively. It also mentions how Testing is involved in the QA world and what its primary goals are.
A bonus – This article also provides you details on how a good Software Quality Assurance Course can help train you to be a successful software QA testing professional!
The role of a software QA testing team in the SDLC
A software QA testing team works on defect prevention in the software development process. Quality audits are regularly performed by them right from planning the processes concerned until the end of the software development life cycle.
As a result, this proactive mindset results in delivering a high-quality product, thereby developing their confidence in the product. This would involve performing reviews, walkthroughs, inspections of the process.
Let us explain how.
A proactive mindset, performing preventive measures – successful QA testing
An efficient software QA testing team ensures that they have a proactive mindset while auditing the software system. Being proactive is critical so that the product is built right the “first” time right from the start of the software development process. They also proactively raise the alarm when they first notice that the product is not being built right, in the right way.
With a preventive action mindset, the team can help detect flaws and prevent issues that could have otherwise led to future failures.
Can this vital mindset be taught to QA testers? Yes, of course! A well-planned and executed Software Quality Assurance Course can definitely help imbibe this mindset into budding QA testers.
Further in this article, it is explained how you can grow your knowledge in the QA arena.
However, before that, let us discover what QA and Testing are at their core…
What is ‘Quality assurance’ by its linguistic meaning?
Let us explore the linguistic meaning of “Assurance.” By dictionary definition, “Assurance” is a positive declaration aimed at giving confidence over the abilities.
Hence, Quality Assurance involves all those pre-planned activities implemented at the beginning of the product development lifecycle. As a result, these systematic activities are demonstrated to provide confidence that a software system will meet the requirements for quality.
Most importantly, the QA set of activities help processes to be established and continuously improved.
What is the role of the Testing activity in QA?
Testing is a method that consists of auditing a framework or the process from the perspective of QA. This is done to determine flaws during the process of building the software from a preventive standpoint. It involves the prevention of deficiencies in the process before the product is wholly developed.
From the QA perspective, the QA team takes proactive measures to ensure that defects are avoided in a system while testing.
For example –
Let us say a software company has just started the development of a software product. Here, while testing, the team develops specific measures and quality checks utilized for assuring the quality of the software. Thereby, a software QA testing team helps prevent errors, bugs from entering into the system much earlier in the software development lifecycle.
Software QA testing activity goals – “Are we building the product right”?
In the pretext of delivering a top-notch product, software QA testing teams ensure that Quality is imparted right from the start of the process. Thus, continuously, the QA team keep asking themselves the following –
“Are we building the product right?”
Eventually, in the process, audits are performed to ensure that the product should be suitable for the product’s planned purpose by the customer. Also, they provide that the product is built right the first time, thanks to the preventive mindset. The process of creating the product is continuously verified as per the standards and plan.
What are some of the items evaluated in the process? Verification of the following items are performed –
- Test Plans
- Requirement specifications
- Design specifications
- Code
- Test Cases, etc.
Now, let us move on to the bonus section of the article to discover how you can increase your knowledge as a QA tester.
Training to be a successful Software QA tester – continuous learning
Now that we know what Testing is in QA let us discover what is required to be a successful Software QA Tester.
Are you a newbie QA professional who just completed their QA training and placement? Or, are you an experienced professional? In either case, continuous learning and upgrading skills are fundamental to be the best in the industry.
As explained in the article, in the whole process of learning, to be an efficient QA tester, one should hone a proactive attitude towards ensuring the quality of the process. Also, one must know the practical techniques, methodologies, tools involved in QA.
For this, one can attend Software Quality Assurance Courses and participate in QA forums to acquire theoretical knowledge about QA.
For example, the following topics are taught in QA courses –
- Building a preventive, proactive approach towards quality.
- Planning for effective QA – Pre-planning an effective process while parallelly also identifying and selecting the right tools.
- Performing QA preventive actions and honing a “proactive” mindset while creating a robust testing environment. The team may also plan to apply automation in the process.
- Checking – This would involve auditing steps, methodologies in the process. It also includes auditing for process checklists, standards, documentation, and more.
- Performing actions based on the Audit results – implementation of measures required to achieve improvements in the process. This could also involve document reviews, Test case reviews, test walkthroughs,
- and more.
Conclusion
As you have understood now, a professional software QA testing team works towards evaluating and verifying the work products of a process. They continuously determine if the software process meets the specified requirements, design specification of the software development phase.
Thus, the software QA testing team guarantees that the product will eventually work as per the customer’s expectations.Thus, a software QA testing training team helps build the software company’s brand because a high-quality product makes a client build confidence about the product. Thereby, also the software company gains more projects due to the faith of the customer. Also, it gains an advantage in the software market arena!
