Did you build a software program or web app that is ready to go public?
But did you check that the software development was up to par and can be maintained well?
The software market is brutally competitive, so it’s essential to ensure software development quality before the product launches.
Why Is Software Quality So Vital?
AppsFlyer reports that 50% of software apps are uninstalled in a month or less. So, your company and team have a limited opportunity to please users before they move to a competitor product. That’s the reason it’s so vital to deliver high quality and functionality.
Many companies lean on their software dev team to do tests as the project progresses, but that subtracts the time they can spend on development. It’s better for your product and company to rely on a quality assurance team to make sure your software works seamlessly on all mobile devices.
QA Overview
Quality assurance (QA) or quality control (QC) refers to quality management that ensures that all software quality standards are met.
At the base, QA is the part of software development that checks the software conforms to all requirements.
Depending on how your company structures the software dev team, quality assurance could occur at the end of the project. Or, some software teams now use agile methodology, so QC is done during every project cycle. Then, test case results are given to the project for the next release.
Use QC From The Start
Software testers can check QC and improve awareness if they work closely with developers. This will ensure high-quality standards are met at all times. Note that QC starts at the start of the project and is maintained throughout.
Having a strong relationship between developers and testers will maintain the software strategy during the entire project. Plus, having good PC methodology will ensure that any code bugs and errors are handled early.
Test Often
Improving software quality means running a lot of tests. Then, test some more! Testing early and often ensures that software defects don’t turn into huge issues that affect launch or customer satisfaction.
The larger the product defect, the pricier it becomes to fix software issues later. Testing the product often means a strong focus on automated testing. Your team should begin by making non UI tests automatic. Then, increase testing to UI-based when the software is stable.
If the product uses APIs and Webservices, you should automate your QC tests to make sure all logic and rules are tested and verified.
This is a vital time to work with the software dev team to be sure of appropriate automated software testing. You also should enhance coverage of testing, quality improvement and accuracy.
This is an important point – a recent IT study showed that the cost to fix a software bug increases 1000% with each subsequent stage of development.
For instance, a software bug that costs only $100 to fix in the early business case stage costs $1000 to fix during your systems requirement process. Then, it could cost a staggering $100,000 at implementation.
Stress QA Throughout the Dev Process
Testing is vital at the start of the project. But testing doesn’t end there. QA also needs to be present during the whole software project.
QA is a vital governance concern that is administered by the software development team to ensure high software quality. Also, assurance testing validates and oversees all project processes that are used to provide the best outcomes.
Your team should repeat testing as every development step occurs; as the team adds each layer, every layer must be retested.
Break Down The Smallest Project Parts
Divide and conquer have been shown over time to be extremely effective.
It also is fantastic for software programming! If you can solve a small problem during the project, it’s more likely you can handle it than a huge problem.
If you remember to connect all the small project pieces, they all will work together in the end.
And you will have solved all software dev problems the easiest and less expensive way.
Communicate
For any software project to succeed, clear communication is vital.
Improving software quality means all parties must have access to complete information through open communication.
Open communication may happen in many ways. Communication can be just consistent and clear KPIs that indicate how QC will be measured during every step.
Remember that every member on the project team should be able to access KPIs, even the lowest level members.
Strong communication also is maintained by making sure every team member can provide feedback to the other members.
Automation
This isn’t just about test automation mentioned earlier. It also refers to processes we repeat during the software development process.
For example, consider the software release process. If your team uses the Agile method, there will be frequent releases. This is why the process should be just one command away and easy to pick up.
The whole CI process needs to be as automated as you can manage.
It’s also to perform software coding formatting; that’s quite easy to do today with some software development.
Use Software Programming Tools
Some hardcore, old-school programmers believe they should never use tools for coding. That’s a respectable point of view, but many believe productivity tools help to reduce errors and increase programming speed.
We advise using tools as much as you can to improve the software dev process, which lead to better quality.
Be A Product User, Too
Are you creating a consumer software app or program? Then don’t just be a software developer or manager.
Use the product and feel what it’s like. Put on the ‘user’ hate and think like your typical consumer that will download the program.
If your team develops an API, create something that will use it. If you can, create something that is shipped with the API. Then, you will understand if it is user-friendly if you are really a user.
Using these principles daily during the software development process will ensure the best results.
Connect with Ryan on Linkedin.
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