Thursday, 27 October 2011

Significance of Quality Assurance in Software Development

Significance of Quality Assurance in Software Development
Quality assurance plays an essential role in any production process and software development is not an exception. Though it’s the back bone of all the major companies but there are  many  small and new software development  companies that may consider quality assurance a sideline activity and often extenuate its significance. Testing involves operation of a system or application under controlled conditions and evaluating the results (eg, 'if the user is in interface A of the application while using hardware B, and does C, then D should happen'). The controlled conditions should include both normal and abnormal conditions. Testing should intentionally attempt to make things go wrong to determine if things happen when they shouldn't or things don't happen when they should.
The lack of seasoned testing  practice will result in failure to meet clients’ expectations, end user exasperation about the flaws and ultimately negative publicity for your business. While testing process is a part of quality assurance practice, Quality Assurance is not limited to various types of tests and Quality Assurance process involves both verification and validation and starts at the early stages of SDLC..
Software Development Life Cycle or SDLC is basically a set of processes from which a built product passes and reaches its final composition The Software Life Cycle begins when an application is first conceived and ends when it is no longer in use. It includes aspects such as initial concept, requirements analysis, functional design, internal design, documentation planning, test planning, coding, document preparation, integration, testing, maintenance, updates, retesting, phase-out, and other aspects. Now, let’s come to how SQA plays its role in this process. SDLC refers to a methodology for developing systems.  It provides a consistent framework of tasks and deliverables needed to develop systems.  The SDLC methodology may be condensed to include only those activities appropriate for a particular project, whether the system is automated or manual, whether it is a new system, or an enhancement to existing systems.  The SDLC methodology tracks a project from an idea developed by the user, through a feasibility study, systems analysis and design, programming, pilot testing, implementation, and post-implementation analysis. Importance of Testing in SDLC
Some major things are necessary in SDLC phase. Testing phase in Quality assurance  is one phase that determines the bugs and errors in the application. These bugs can be at unit level or system level. With so many testing phases, you get to keep away from any kind of defects that may be affecting your application. With the help of testing phase, it helps you to know the state of product and service quality. The stakeholders get good information through testing phase about service quality too.As testing is one off the major phase that helps in knowing the actual outcome and the expected outcome. Surely, it can help you to improve your product quality. With proper testing done, you come out of errors and develop perfect software application for the users.In any SDLC lifecycle, testing phase is important for technical aspect. Perfect testing tools and methods help you and your application to grow up in market and keep away your competitors. With getting away in all phases of testing, you develop more sound, safe and secure software application. When you develop any software, testing plays an important part. When you give your software without any testing then it may be hazardous to the users who are using it. To keep everyone away from any hazard, it is necessary that you go under all testing phases.
Proper tested software gives you more confidence of coming up with great software. Secondly, it improves quality of your software application as continuous and all kinds of testing modes have made a secure and safe application that can be used by the end users.One of the main aims of testing phase in SDLC is for verification and validation. Testing is a phase that can serve as a metrics as it is used heavily in V&V method.This is yet another important factor that is determined by the testing phase. If your software application has gone through all small level like unit testing and major testing like regression testing and all, then sure it is a reliable application. Hence testing determines reliability of your software application. Testing may serve as the best statistical method that defines operational testing on application resulting in a reliable software product.A well-tested software application will have good economic impact. Everybody would be interested to work and use the reliable and trusted application in market.There are many kinds of SDLC models and each of these models makes use of testing phase. Hence, this makes testing a very important part in any software development life cycle. With unit testing, integration tests, system testing, regression tests and user acceptance testing and major types of testing, helps any developer to come up with a reliable and trusted web application that can be useful. Testing also follows its own lifecycle like test analysis, test plan, test design and test execution.



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