What is Quality Assurance?

Do you know what Quality Assurance is? Or how QA plan works?

Did you ever play block-building games in your childhood? If yes, it was fun, right?

Let’s talk about another common game. Tell me, who is from you didn’t like paper cutting in your childhood? I am sure you are the rare one. We all wanted to create something beautiful after cutting paper or building with blocks. We were concerned about ensuring it was of good quality and tried to shape it into what we had decided to make, right?

Again, when a mother cooks for her child, she ensures its quality so that her children love it the most.

That is called quality assurance. Whenever you create a thing, you must try to ensure its quality, its shape, size, look, etc.

So, quality assurance is a systematic process where a product or service’s quality has monitored the match its requirements.

Although, the formalized practice of today’s QA concept started in the manufacturing industry. Now it has since spread to almost every Industry, including software development.

What is QA – The Exact Definition of Quality Assurance

Quality assurance means confirming the standard of a product or service. In software, manufacturing and other industries, ensuring a product or service’s quality is a must before handing it over to the customer or target audience.

The Oxford Learners Dictionary explains QA as, “Quality assurance is the practice of managing the way goods are produced or services are provided to make sure they are kept at a high standard.”

Let’s understand it from the core.

What is Quality?

Fit for use or purpose is the simplest way to describe quality, which is incredibly difficult to quantify. It all comes down to fulfilling the requirements and expectations of the consumer in terms of the products:

• Design
• Pricing
• Durability
• Usefulness
• Dependability

What is Assurance?

A positive affirmation of a good or service that inspires confidence is all that assurance is. A product or service’s likelihood of doing well. It ensures that the software product will perform flawlessly under expectations or standards.

Importance of QA

After building anything like software development, game development, app development or anything else, the developer or builder always wants to maintain its quality. Quality assurance is mandatory if you are developing it for your target user.

QA plan helps to create your image in front of your customers. Who doesn’t want to meet his client’s expectations and requirements? I do not know anybody like this. That means quality assurance is the most expected and unavoidable thing.

Do you want to know why it is necessary?

The importance of quality assurance plan is given below:

• Build Trust
• Bring Client Satisfaction
• Prevent Product Defects

Build Trust

When you buy any product from an ecommerce application with a high user experience and get the product comfortably, you will buy from the app in your next shopping too. Right? That means the application’s quality has built your trust in it. That’s how QA plan builds customers’ or clients’ trust.

Bring Client Satisfaction

QA works to meet the client’s expectations and requirements. After handing over, the clients get satisfied when they see their expectations are fully matched with the product.

Prevent Product Defects

Quality assurance works to develop a flawless product or service. So, it is continuously engaged with the prevention of any kind of defects or bugs in the software or web product.

Pros and Cons of QA

Quality Assurance helps to create a bug and defect-free products and services. I have already mentioned the importance of QA.

Now I am willing to provide you with the pros and cons of quality assurance.

So the pros of QA are:

• Customer loyalty
• Repeat purchases
• Upsell and advocacy
• Meet customer’s expectation
• Satisfied customers
• High-quality product
• Cost reduction etc.

There is no way to skip the QA process while developing or serving a product. But there are some cons in QA.

These are:

• Sometimes it is time-consuming
• Can impact the delivery date of products

What is your opinion after reading both pros and cons of quality assurance? You may disagree with me, but believe me, I can assure you that the advantages of quality assurance can save your business, reputation and cost. Though sometimes the QA process looks time-consuming, in reality, it saves your time.

How?

Suppose you have developed an ecommerce application and released it to users. Your users found it with low user experience, high loading time and many other issues. In that case, they would not be interested in using your application. You must work again with it, which is more time-consuming and costly. Moreover, you may lose your incredibility.

History of Quality Assurance – QA

To let you know what quality assurance is, I will present the history of QA in this QA guide.

Since the beginning of human history, society has always aimed for quality. In ancient Greece and the Egyptians who constructed the pyramids, QA system may trace back to then.

The concept of current quality assurance, which aims to ensure product quality, initially became well-known with guilds in the Middle Ages. Source: History of Quality assurance

Following that, the new age started with the contemporary quality assurance philosophy. It was born during the Industrial Revolution. 

Frederick Winslow Taylor recommended a technique to send these talented artisans to labor in factories rather than join guilds to make a living.

Now let’s understand the evaluation of SQA testing through the Quality Assurance guide.

The Evolution of Software QA Testing

It is helpful to discuss the history of quality assurance and how we came to utilize certain techniques, such as Agile and Waterfall. In many respects, previous mistakes and achievements have influenced our perspective of quality today. So, I am adding it from the core to this quality assurance guide.

Since the beginning of software development after World War II, developers have been testing their work. 

But if you skip ahead to the 1990s and 2000s, you can notice the changes.

In 1981, when IBM released the PC, Hardware was transformed. Programmers can now code for just one hardware platform, at least for the consumer market.

PCs all looked different by the 1990s, of course. Each machine’s hardware and software configuration may differ significantly. However, developers were under growing pressure to produce software that ran well on any device marked as PC-compatible.

Quality Assurance Vs. Quality Engineering – QA Vs. QE

Although both Quality Assurance and Quality Engineering seek to enhance your product’s quality, the main difference between them is when software developers intervene to make their enhancements. Testers are brought in for Quality Assurance after a product is completed but before it is made available for purchase.

Meanwhile, many use Quality Engineering in each stage of software product development. Here, I am presenting the differences deeply. Take a look at the comparison:

QA vs. Testing

After reading this far of my article, maybe you have already discovered the difference between a quality assurance plan and testing.

Simply, QA works with the procedures and the processes in production. But testing works to find defects only.

Quality assurance focuses on ensuring that the product meets its specified requirements, whereas testing is a more tactical process to identify issues.

QA vs. QC

Sometimes you can see that there is confusion between quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). I can assure you that these terms have similarities, but there are important distinctions too.

Quality assurance is an overall guideline that can be used anywhere, but quality control is a process based on production, for example, inspections.

QA focuses on the product’s specified requirements, whereas QC focuses on defects or individual inspections.

Regarding software development, QA works to prevent bugs and malfunctioning code or products. On the other hand, QC implements troubleshooting, testing, and fixing codes.

What are the Benefits Quality Assurance

Now you are familiar with what quality assurance is. But do you know what the advantages of QA are? Now I am going to tell you about the huge benefits of quality assurance.

Improves Product Efficiency

Since quality assurance confirms a product is of good quality, you will get the best benefits from it. QA makes a product flawless, with superior functional equipment and a suitable workspace that improves the product’s efficiency.

Cost Effectivity

Quality assurance is also cost-effective. In the QA plan, a product’s flaws are used to be found before releasing it. That ultimately saves your further costs.

Helps Gaining Customer Trust

When you provide a smooth and outstanding service to your clients or target audience, they will believe you. Your customers will never get back to others for that service.

Enhances Business Growth

When you constantly maintain the QA plan in every service or product of your company, it will save your money and helps gain customers’ trust. Ultimately it will enhance your business growth.

Establishes a Better Work Environment

QA doesn’t only leave your service flawless. It also creates a flawless and productive work environment for your company. Since QA teams require to work with the production team, it creates a better and healthy work environment.

Prevents Unforeseen Emergencies

QA saves software products from:

• System blackouts
• Missing data
• Communication breakdowns.

Quality assurance prevents you from some dangerous and harmful situations.

Improves Client Confidence

Continuous flawless supply will increase your reputation in front of your clients. Your clients will be dependent on you for the services, and it will also make them confident to deal with a long-term plan.

QA Methods

Quality assurance works in the following three methods. Here I am going to reveal these three in front of you.

These three methods of QA are:

• Failure testing
• Statistical process control (SPC)
• Total quality management (TQM)

Failure Testing

Failure testing works for testing a product continually to determine its failure or break. If the product is physical, the test implements pressures, including heat or vibration. On the other hand, in the case of software products, it checks under load conditions or high usage.

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

In the 1920s and 1930s, Walter Shewhart at Western Electric Company and Bell Telephone Laboratories developed this methodology. With based on objective data and analysis, this QA method works for controlling and managing the product’s production.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

The TQM method is a quantitative method and works for continuous improvement. It checks the fact, analyzes data and supports product planning with performance reviews.

QA Team

There are SQA testers, QA engineers, and QA managers who work on quality assurance plans and execute them. They work as a team and are called the QA team.

QA team usually works with the software development production team. In each stage of the software development life cycle, the QA team works to find bugs, potential bugs and malfunctioning codes etc.

SQA team works for constant testing.

QA Uses by Industry

I have already mentioned in the history of quality assurance that, in previous, only the manufacturing industry used the QA plan in their system. Manufacturers require to produce defectless products with the specified requirement.

Another industry directly requires a quality assurance plan is the food production industry. The industry uses X-ray systems to detect physical contaminants in food production. Before leaving the factory, every product must be ensured that it is uncontaminated.

The pharmaceutical industry has similarities with software development. So, this industry mostly requires a QA plan in each stage of a drug’s development.

QA Process – Quality Assurance Process

The QA process is the core part of the quality assurance plan. So, here I am going to reveal this process to you. 

There are 6 stages in the QA process. These stages are:

• Analyze Requirements
• Plan the tests
• Design the tests
• Execute Tests and Report Defects
• Run Re-Tests and Regression Tests
• Release Tests

Challenges of Quality Assurance

You may know that where there are pros, there are cons. I have already explained the pros and cons of quality assurance plan. So, in this part, I am describing the challenges of quality assurance.

In quality assurance testing, there are some challenges, such as:

• Time-consuming
• High cost
• Implementation

Let’s understand these challenges in a descriptive way.

Time-consuming

Sometimes ensuring quality execution requires much time. It may look like a waste of time in documentation and meetings. You may think you could use this time on actual software development and testing.

High Cost

For a small size of project, you can spend a little amount. Besides, QA saves you a big amount from bug fixing in the later stage of software development. But for an increased number of resources, the QA process may cost more than a small project.

Challenging to Implement Sometimes

Quality assurance clarifies all the activities and actions in each step of software development. Implementing these detailed forms may sometimes become difficult.

Myths and Misconceptions about Quality Assurance

You may be surprised to know that companies lose incredible amounts of money if they fail to detect a bug. Only some understand the real magic power of QA Engineers. I don’t know why some myths and misconceptions are running against the QA process and professionals.

Here, I will describe these conventional myths and misconceptions about the QA process in this QA guide.

• Testing is boring.
• It is the final testing procedure.
• QA plan is the easiest way to enter IT.
• A tester is always a person to blame.
• Quality assurance is only about testing.
• It’s hard to grow professionally for a QA.
• Automated testing will replace the manual soon.
• Quality assurance plan is just about finding bugs or errors.

Testing is Boring

Although testing is a routine procedure for some people, there is space for creativity. Testers can do the following things:

• Explore platforms, techniques, and approaches
• Change platforms and techniques, and approaches
• Mix platforms and techniques, and approaches.

It’s true that a tester always works under strict requirements, but there is still an opportunity to use diverse styles while exploring the bugs.  

It is the Final Testing Procedure

I have already discussed in my QA guide that the QA process is a running process in every stage of software development, game development, ecommerce app development or anything else. But somehow, there is a myth that it is the last procedure of testing and that the QA process should be done after the development period.

QA is the Easiest Way to Enter IT

Some think that QA plan does not require a programming language. So, they suggest that being a QA is easier than being a developer. But it’s not that easy.

If you have decided to start your quality assurance career, you should put extra effort into learning. 

A Tester is Always a Person to Blame

A QA engineer works as a troubleshooter. But some people think of them as troublemakers since they accuse testers of mistakes or bugs.

Testers work in every stage of the development process. But you should keep in mind that a tester is a human being. It is natural if he misses any bugs unwillingly at any stage of the process.

Quality Assurance is only about Testing

There is no doubt that testing is a big part of quality assurance. However, testing is only one of the things here. From the requirements gathering to the maintenance of the product, every stage is related to the assurance of quality.

It’s Hard to Grow Professionally for a QA

Another biggest misconception about testing is that it will hamper your career if you choose a tester career. Sometimes you may find some of your friends to choose it as a temporary job. Yet, you can increase your title to a leadership position from a tester in the IT sector.

So, do not worry about that.

Automated Testing will Replace the Manual Soon

With the blessings of technology, today, many things are automated. For this, some analysts think that manual testing is nearly over. But you must agree that a machine is always a machine. Testers can find 

specific and extraordinary cases by looking at the application as a user. Moreover, automated testers are also created manually.

Quality Assurance is Just about Finding Bugs or Errors

I have already discussed the QA process in the QA ultimate guide. So, you know how the quality assurance process works. Finding bugs and errors is not the only thing that a QA process covers. Obviously, it’s a part, but it’s not all.

Conclusion

Quality assurance works in every moment of software development or production system. Ensuring a product is of good quality and meets the previously specified requirements is mandatory in the QA plan. QA works for consumers’ satisfaction and provides them with a defectless product or service. In conclusion, I want to say that QA is not a plan for software or manufacturing; you can find and implement it everywhere in your daily life.

QA FAQs

People usually want to know answers of some common questions about what quality assurance is. Here you will find a list of these frequently asked questions with the answers of them.

This page was last edited on 16 October 2023, at 12:54 pm