In simple terms, QA testing means taking a range of steps to ensure that the finished product or service delivers the maximum quality for any end user. When it’s done properly, QA testing will spot problematic issues with the project at the earliest possible stage, before the problems in question have time to become embedded and impact on the end result in a manner which will cost both time and money.
Through QA testing, you will be able to identify errors, redundant features, and inconsistencies, ensuring that the project which is ultimately delivered will perform in a real-world environment and continue to deliver over the longer term. To be truly effective, QA testing should involve all team members involved in developing the project and should take place through an on-going process which tracks development though all stages. This article will explain the fundamentals of QA and the different methodologies which can be used for successful QA testing:
If you work with QA testers, then you will find yourself having to deal with a large number of words and phrases which you may never have come across before. The following is a brief glossary of the kind of words and phrases often used by people involved in QA testing:
QA testing plays a vital role in the production of a website, offering a range of advantages and playing a key role in releasing a finished item which will deliver for all end users. Some developers neglect QA testing because of a belief that it represents an unnecessary expense, but this is a mistake.
The fact of the matter is that effective QA testing is an investment which saves time and money. It does this, above all else, by identifying potential problems as early in the development cycle as possible. This means that those problems can be fixed quickly and simply, rather than becoming embedded within the structure of a product and having to be uncovered and dealt with by working back through multiple steps in the development.
At the same time, QA testing can identify minor changes to aspects of development such as software tweaks which could, if left in place, deliver major changes to the final outcome. Until every component has been QA tested there is no way of knowing, with any certainty, whether it will operate as it is meant to in a real-world environment.
Finally, QA testing will stop so-called ‘feature creep’. This describes the phenomenon of features being introduced without testing, which then go on to impact on the wider scope of the project, taking it beyond what was originally intended. QA testing at every stage of development will ensure that any changes work within the parameters which the project is intended to deliver.