The success of any startup directly depends on the quality of the software. If the program or application will work with failures, will be inconvenient, or incomprehensible, you will not be able to achieve high user ratings.
You may have limited time or budget and choose between scaling the product or improving it. However, expanded software will not be in demand if it does not work smoothly. Therefore, implementing a QA audit designed to check the product thoroughly is a mandatory stage on the way to its release.
Below we will discuss why quality assurance is needed, how to implement it in the early stages, and what best practices to apply.
QA Audit Objectives and Steps It Includes
Quality assurance is a procedure for verifying software during its development and after its completion. Implementing a software QA audit is necessary to:
- Identify and correct possible errors in the product.
- Provide a better user experience.
- Make sure that the final product meets the customer’s requirements.
Previously, QA engineers tested software exclusively before its release. Current trends reject this approach and emphasize that program testing should occur throughout the entire software life cycle.
Testing should include the following stages:
- Requirements analysis.
- Test planning.
- Test case creation.
- Test execution.
- Regression testing.
The earlier QA is implemented, the greater the likelihood that possible errors will be detected at an early stage and will not negatively affect further software development.
How to Implement QA at the Primary Stage
To include testing in your product verification early, you need to structure your development process so that software creation and examining happen simultaneously. Here is a brief software audit guide that you can follow:
- Favour agile methodologies. Classic strategies involve testing at a later stage, while modern agile approaches allow developers and testers to collaborate throughout the process.
- Provide clear documentation. Both developers and QA engineers need to see the exact requirements to be able to start working at an early stage.
- Focus on results. Testers should be involved in the entire process and test the product from the beginning. Developers can take into account interim results, improve the software, and return its parts for re-testing. This way, testers will have tasks throughout the process.
In summary, the main way to include testing early is to turn to an agile strategy.
The Best Practices to Improve QA Audit for Your Project
If you have already incorporated QA into your project, here are some practices that will help you improve your experience and the final testing results.
Combine Manual and Automation Testing
Each project requires a unique approach to its testing. You can hardly completely eliminate manual or automated testing, so the best option is to combine them. You can test the main functions manually, but leave the repetitive tests for automation to speed up the process.
Create Better Test Cases
They should be specialized enough to test every function of the software and comprehensive enough to verify most of the product and ensure it functions as a single mechanism.
Involve CI and CD
Continuous integration and continuous delivery are practices that involve making changes to the main code gradually and releasing small iterations of the code regularly. They simplify the testing of programs and tracking the results.
Follow Agile Approaches
There are many different QA methodologies. To involve testing throughout the process, choose the most flexible of them.
Ensure Constant Information Exchange
To ensure that product development and testing do not hold each other back and produce better results, developers and testers should be in touch and provide each other with sufficient information.
Spend Time on Testing Security
Make sure that data is securely protected from third-party access and cannot be disclosed even during a hacker attack.
Choose the Right Tools
They will depend on the project, its goals, and specialization. Since there are many tools, determine the ones that will provide the best QA audit results.
Try Crowdtesting
Crowdtesting is a specific approach in which you can test your product with a large number of engineers. This will give you accurate and fast results.
Improve Results with Additional Practices
Take time to check the user interface and carefully analyze the errors you have already encountered. Perform unit and regression tests to ensure that individual blocks work together as well as the entire program after an update.
You have many opportunities to improve the QA audit experience for your future product. Use them all to achieve high software quality and high user ratings. Involve testing early and track its results throughout the process.
