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It is human nature to want the best quality – in everything we buy and use. Quality is the measure of excellence of any product, or service, experience or process, comparing them with things similar. For decades humankind has attempted to better whatever they created, specializing in their realms of work, and seeking to become experts in those areas.
If we look at ancient constructions and architecture, we can see how people began to raise the standards of what they did. Most of those structures continue to stand tall and beautiful even today. Before the industrial era, Guilds monopolized the markets – they were a union of craftsmen. They took on the responsibility of ascertaining the quality of good and services offered by the members – the masters of the guild would perform inspections in a bid to ensure that quality was maintained. This meant that quality was dependent on the view and mindset of a person or a group of persons. However, slowly specialization became the order of day, thereby taking quality from being focused on a person to being process oriented.
Quality Assurance in the Realm of Software Testing
With QA services becoming the buzzword now in almost every realm, including software testing, it does make sense to look at the history of software quality assurance to understand the reasons for the emergence and use of certain methodologies – Agile and Waterfall being two of them.
It is also necessary to understand how the failures, challenges, and successes of the past affect our view of quality as we know it today. Quality Assurance, Testing, and Quality Control are terms often used in the realm of quality, but it is incorrect to use them as analogous terms, since there are some significant differentiations. However, using these terms interchangeably has its roots in the origin and the fact that the implementation of each, intersect in the realm of software development.
Defining Quality Assurance
Any top quality QA company will tell you that QA is a proactive process, aimed at preventing problems and issues. The emphasis for QA companies therefore would be to include meticulous planning, diligent documentation, and close attention to the guidelines required to ensure top quality software. In order to gain full understanding of the business requirements of the client and the project, QA as a process must begin at the start of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The next step would be developing a structured and robust plan to meet the required expectations and criteria. Of course, QA must continue through the SDLC to ensure quality does not fall.
QA testing companies will tell you that software quality is about the level that a system meets the specified criteria and the needs of the users. Quality of software is also about the design quality, and can be determined by scrutinizing several variables – both internal and external. External quality would be user experience, while the quality of coding would deal with the internal quality. Software testing is an integral and critical component in the process of software development because this is what maintains quality. Software testing too has undergone several and major changes during its evolution, and the evolution has been segregated into various phases based on time.
Avoid ConfusionAs mentioned earlier, QA, QC, and testing must not be used interchangeably, and to make matters simple it would suffice to look at the three as a grading of processes. While QA cements the process to build a product and assess its quality, quality control ensures that the QA process is implemented right, and testing is one component of the QC process. Software testing has seen a rather evolutionary process, resulting in its advanced form today – that of end to end framework based testing. Studies conducted on the subject discuss the evolution of this realm based on time and based on usage of tools, methodologies, and processes.
Looking Ahead and In ConclusionQA and software testing constitute important components of software development, and with companies working with limited resources in terms of personnel, time, and money, it would make sense to partner with an expert QA Outsourcing company. Not only would these professionals work within these limitations, they would also provide value added services and support. They would also be able to guide your business with regard to which process require manual testing, and which ones need automated tests. With knowledge of tools, such experienced testers would ensure that projects are completed faster and with laser like precision. The skills and knowledge of such QA and software testing companies is becoming indispensable. To gain the benefits of top class QA and software testing, connect with us today, and leave it to us to uncover the countless possibilities for your business.
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