In the late 19th and early 20th century, Milton Hershey, the founder of The Hershey Chocolate company, once quoted,
'Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising.'
And even after a century later, when the times and business world have changed by 360 degrees, we have hundreds of mediums to promote our brand and generate sales; this quote is still relevant and very accurate.
A good business is synonymous with good quality. It has always been a successful formula. However, we all have seen our fair share of the companies that recognize the importance of quality assurance and are adamant about delivering the best. Unfortunately, we have also seen a lot of others who don't understand the need for quality assurance.
Well, it's not that entrepreneurs dive into the business world to put quality at the back seat once they attain a specific benchmark. But along the way, while juggling between hundreds of other things, businesses can forsake quality.
And do you know what the worst part is? It often happens without the business owner even knowing that the core foundation of its business is slipping away!
In this blog, we will be putting 'the importance of software Quality Assurance' under the microscope and enlighten you with its various aspects.
Come, jump on this bandwagon with us!
What is Software Quality Assurance?
Quality assurance or software quality assurance is a range of processes that falls under the umbrella of software quality management. It also includes software testing and software quality control processes. Along with advancing software development and maintenance processes, quality assurance aligns the business goals with essential specifications and compliance with regulatory standards.
Here's how the quality control rolls,
Very often, software testing and software quality assurance are considered interchangeable. However, they both are very different when it comes to their scope, role, and responsibilities.
Let’s see what they both individually mean,
- Software testing is a part of the process that covers code development
- Software quality assurance has its role in the entire software development cycle
Here are the different layers of the entire process
Now you get why is quality assurance becoming more important? Well, because it imparts precious benefits.
Benefits of Software Quality Assurance
As discussed above, every business is in dire need of quality assurance. Why? Check these benefits out, and you will know!
Enhances the client's experience
Isn't everything we do in our business is to satisfy the client's needs? And software quality assurance is an ensured way to do that. Often, during the software development cycle, developers miss the unnoticeable problems on its interfaces. This is a significant reason to have a thorough analysis, like software quality assurance.
It ensures your solution has non-confusing menus, well-adjusted and working buttons. All of this is done while guaranteeing the proper functioning of the program and no harm to the user experience.
Minimizes cost
When you analyze every step and make the essential changes at the earliest, you are saving the cost of the double work during development. Software quality assurance is the process that allows the team to correct the existing and potential problems saving unnecessary expenditures.
Spots the improvement areas
As the project heads toward the final stage, the developers might identify the possible functionality that requires implementation. The team must be aware of the area that demands attention and improvement during the development process to either enhance the software performance or eliminate the bug.
Anticipates problem
Software quality assurance revolves around contemplating the former things while monitoring and tracking the bugs in the development cycle. These tests help the company to spot anonymity and anticipate the more significant problems.
Ensures consistent results
Consistency is one of the most crucial aspects that businesses need to practice every day. For instance, a coffee shop that nails ¾ of its menu will not have the same reputation as the coffee shop that nails 100% of its menu. The point is, any business or organization must follow the quality assurance procedures to deliver top-grade products or services to its clients. Software quality assurance ensures that every product bearing the company name lives up to the standard quality mark.
Note: Here are a few of our case studies that are the epitome of top-tier quality assurance.
Let's clear the doubts you are stuck with!
How does a business identify if it has software quality control issues?
Software quality control is the result of general neglect of operations. Every time you face underachievement in your product or service, understand it is a problem related to quality assurance.
Are our Quality Assurance programs the only way to solve the quality assurance problems?
The quality assurance process aims to identify the gaps and potential threats throughout the software development cycle. Any quick fixes or band-aid approaches will never serve the quality assurance problems. Hence, opt for the QA process and trust us, it's well worth the investment.
Do small businesses need quality assurance?
First of all, software quality assurance has got nothing to do with the size of your business or organization. Since it affects the end product, neglecting it is nothing less than putting your business at risk.
Software quality assurance is a process-oriented practice. It ensures that the process of developing the solution does adhere to the standards. Hence it won't be wrong to say that quality assurance is a proactive technique that saves the development from major fails at posterior stages.
Key Takeaways:
- Quality assurance confirms that the standards of quality are being met with the overall expectations
- Quality assurance is one facet of the quality management process, along with planned implementation
- Businesses cannot see it as different from quality control, yet they have specific roles and responsibilities
If you have an in-house team for development, the wisest decision you can make is to implement a quality assurance process at the earliest.
On the other hand, if you have offshore software development needs, we urge you to go with a quality assurance partner as an integral part of their processes.
Clarion Technologies is one of the leading firms that, along with its unique delivery model, ensures you get a complete quality control and quality assured product.
So, the next time you hire offshore developers for your product, ask,
Does your company imbed quality into its culture and performance, or does it simply look for quality control?
