The rationale to define Quality in such broad terms is that, the narrow definition of QA being a validation process to ensure the product satisfies the functional specification may ensure product is working as per the specification but need not guarantee customer satisfaction in User Work Flow.
Depending on the stage & maturity of Product, QA plays a significant role in shaping the product to making the product adopted in market and further play a role of Customer advocacy.
QA strategies can vary depending on the Business goals right from early adoption of product to enterprise product.
Research has shown that the cost of fixing a Defect found once the product is rolled out is many folds compared to the cost of finding it during the software development phase.
In this article list some of the best practices that prevent leaking of Defects into production environment.
QA goes beyond the software development life cycle and involves successful product delivery right from conceptualizing the product to post-delivery activities as outlined below
1) A QA with expertise in domain reviews the functional specifications and also product fit the eco system based on Business strategy.
2) A QA with Systems knowledge helps in reviewing the Product software architecture to ensure software principles are followed for better maintenance & scalability of the product.
3) Testing ensures the Product meets the Functional & Non-Functional specifications.
4) Perform Root Cause Analysis and incorporate appropriate changes in the upstream activities to prevent Defects leakage.
5) QA devices metrics to establish entry & exit criteria for different phases in software product life cycle.
6) Devices a sound DevOps strategy to automate different activities starting from building the product to deployment along with collecting the metrics at different stages of product life cycle, goes a long way in smooth Release management.
7) Promote product/service adoption by providing Deployment guides, Demos & training, Reviewing documents, Beta programs etc.
About the Author
Sri Vishnu Nadam is a QA Manager with over 15 years of experience in the field of Software Testing and Automation. He brings an extensive experience in shaping the product to provide delightful Customer experience through refining the practices in areas – Quality Assurance Management, DevOps Testing Tools & Methodologies, Software Testing Life Cycle. He aims to take a “creative approach to identifying and solving the human challenges of engineering” and believes the key to creating successful tech is to have a thriving company culture.