Summary: This article focuses on developing a structured quality assurance (QA) strategy in software development to ensure consistent standards, prevent defects, and improve overall team efficiency and performance.
Performing quality assurance (QA) on your software development projects should never be a “check-the-box” exercise.
In fact, performing QA should be viewed as an opportunity to ensure your team is developing software that not only meets customer requirements, but also adheres to security, integration, and usability standards.
Without quality assurance, you might deploy software with defects. And the effects of that can be more than just financial—it can impact customer experience, your brand’s reputation, and even your team’s sense of pride.
So how can your team create a consistent and effective approach to QA from project to project, no matter who is on the QA team? That’s where having a QA strategy comes in.
Much like the software development methodology, development tools, and schedule that your team utilizes from project to project, the way that your organization approaches QA strategy can provide many benefits.
Some of the most prominent include:
Although the formalized software QA strategy can vary in type and content, several components should form its foundation.
Whether you are beginning a software QA strategy for the first time or looking to update your existing approach, ensure that your strategy includes these key components:
Create a mission statement that captures your development team’s customer-focused purpose, values, and goals.
Define the specific acceptance criteria used to confirm software meets its scoped requirements, including the full range of functional and technical perspectives.
Outline the expectations for which job functions will be responsible for test management, testing, coordination, and documentation, among other key roles.
Define your team’s testing approach, including:
Creating your strategy is only a small part of implementing your organization’s structured quality assurance process. The next step is putting the necessary elements into motion to ensure that the QA strategy is woven into your workflow and team expectations.
To do this, you should:
Creating a QA strategy is not only an administrative exercise, but also an opportunity to document, communicate, and nurture the key elements of your organization’s quality assurance standards and goals.
The QA strategy will evolve, and the process will spark conversations about expectations, encourage collaboration, and help your team work together toward a common goal of exceeding customer expectations for quality, security, and functionality.
Want to learn even more about how your team can take your quality assurance processes to the next level? Then check out TestMonitor’s comprehensive QA Testing Guide.