3 Absolute Signs You Need a Software QA Process Audit
By: Amanda Allen
Tags: Software Testing, Software Development, Quality Assurance, Software, Software Audit

Delivering premium quality software is the priority of a company. It is prudent to take care of software development and testing before it reaches the market. However, some companies still lack to comply with some of the basic guidelines, standards, and specifications of the QA process audit due to various reasons.

The worldwide automation testing market is likely to grow to $28.8 billion by the end of 2024 from $12.6 back in 2019.

Hence a complete software quality audit, including development and testing, is an essential criterion.

What is Software Quality Audit?

In software testing, the QA process audit is a process that evaluates software against certain established and specified standards or specifications to ensure the final product meets the criteria and standards.

The purpose of a software quality audit is to observe that the process in use and ensure that it meets the desired or specified standards.

Whether you are offering standard software products or bespoke software solutions, software quality testing is an integral part of the process. It involves the proper execution of either software components or systems using automated or manual tools. The idea is to evaluate the product or solution to identify gaps, bugs, missing requirements when pitted against real conditions.

Importance Of Software Testing

The software development lifecycle follows different processes. At any stage of the process, if an error or a bug is detected, it could lead to failure. The results are usually trivial, but some may be catastrophic. The consequences of a bug determine the extent of the damage.

Rigorous testing and related documentation are essential for software quality editing to identify defects, reduce minor/major flaws in the system or component, and improve its quality.

Software quality testing and audit may also be necessary to comply with industry-specific norms and legal requirements. For example, medical, pharmaceuticals, motor, and avionics industries have a set standard covering software testing.

Agile or similar testing models were the most common, with 87% companies following the agile way in 2019. DevOps rose to 36% in 2019 from a 28% in the previous year.

Testing is important and necessary because:

It identifies bugs/defects before delivering the final product to the client and guarantees software quality

Makes it more reliable and user-friendly

Ensures high-performance and reliable operations

Software quality audits and testing contribute to the success of a project. Here’s how:

Having testers in the requirement phase helps identify the requirement defects before implementation. As a result, it reduces fixing expenses. Moreover, testers gain insight into the project at an early stage, which helps them further in the software’s execution.

When testers collaborate with system designers to understand the software’s intricate design, chances of fundamental design defects reduce. Testers can identify errors very early, which is crucial for development. Besides, it improves integration quality to deliver quality defects.

Testers working in collaboration with developers enhance understanding of the code. Testers must be efficient in what they do against the requirements of the computer. Thus, it reduces the chances of defect slippage. Moreover, testers become quickly aware of developers’ risky areas, helping developers adjust priorities before it is too late. Finally, developers have insight into the testers, making it easier to detect bugs on the spot without getting into lengthy processes.

Testers verify and validate software before it is finally released. As a result, early errors come up, which may have otherwise gone unnoticed. They also support the elimination of defects that cause failures. When you do tests at different levels, it minimizes the risk of errors.

Benefits of Software Quality Audit

By auditing the process of software development, organizations can monitor whether the software is working as it is supposed to or not. For instance, auditors ensure that software analytics are not measuring any irrelevant or superficial metrics.

With the software QA process audit, it is also possible to identify any mismatch between the specific requirements and the features delivered. A problem that should be addressed at the start. They usually cause misunderstanding between the technical and business teams.

An audit validates the process of testing independently and identifies the areas that can be optimized.

A software audit also opens an opportunity to mitigate potential risks and errors that could affect the software development lifecycle. It works as a due diligence practice to help organizations improve the quality of contribution.

By conducting an audit, companies receive an advance intimation of all the potential problems. As a result, they can address those problems much earlier and block them.

Finally, if you choose experience auditors to assess software development’s complete lifecycle, it would help you identify growth opportunities. Experienced auditors can recommend different ways to improve and run things smoothly while using resources optimally.

When Should You Hire A QA Process Audit Team?

In a quest to assemble software development teams and move ahead, some company leaders believe that they could skip the QA process audit. Choosing the right software development partner is very important to ensure you can deliver a bug-free app. However, you have to tie up with an experienced audit team to ensure the final tests gives you a green signal.

Remember, even one instance of a negative review can affect the app’s online presence. It may be the cause of low app ratings or even social media backlash. Hence, don’t ever overlook a small bug.

#1: The App Marketing Time Is Compromised Due to Last Minute Proofing

If your project time frame is growing due to the number of bug fixes and issues at the last minute, you are in for trouble. If these issues are continually blocking the team from reaching its goals timely, it indicates that you should have a dedicated, experienced QA team regardless of the talented development team.

In such a scenario, functional testing becomes paramount to ensure software quality before releasing it. It takes more than a sneak peek at how the overall hardware, software, internal applications, and website performs at par with functional expectations. It involves a series of functional tests to validate the behavior of an application.

#2: To Establish An Agile App

Conventional models of software development can take over a year to implement. Then comes the ROI.

Due to these uncertainties, more and more companies are now transitioning the development teams into the agile methodology. This strategy aims to address software complications. Using the bite-sized approach of agile methodology, developers can enjoy faster profits.

The CollabNet VerionOne reports that 97% of the companies are practicing Agile methodologies. 22% of these companies claim that they have Agile teams, whereas 26% of the companies have reported switching over half of the team to Agile.

Unlike traditional software development, agile methodologies allow the team to uncover new issues and address errors when the software progresses. Testing continues throughout the development phase rather than the end of a project. As a result, there are better advantages of accuracy as well as functional outcomes. It also ensures added support to discover coding flaws and bugs.

However, there may be difficulties in driving quality plus user experience in an agile model without efficient QA professionals to test the software at every step. Testing phase-wise is the basis of this unique development methodology. You cannot go agile without efficient quality assurance and the commitment to test consistently.

Working with agile methodology, you need a dedicated QA team to test the software products and synchronize it with individual goals, including defining user stories, life cycles, creating a backlog, plans to test and execute a testing process, and managing defects, and tracking. You can easily overcome all these intricate complexities by choosing right software development partner.

#3: If The Rate of Retention Is Lower Than Expected

Losing customers is not what you want. If the loss is alarming, it could be due to issues or bugs in the product or navigation troubles.

Quality Assurance and Audit aims to test as well as to detect flaws in the software. It is a tool to measure user experiences and activities. After all, user experience matters in this industry. When users have a positive experience, they are more likely to stay and create loyalty and growth.

Quality Assurance specialists use different testing methods to validate if your app is easy to use and intuitive. Testing provides an essential insight into various aspects such a business processes navigation and user behavior.

It also validates various interactive elements on the last screen, uncovers navigation, explores navigation flow, and detects low-value or redundant information.