What is QA Testing in Software? Know its Types & Tools

Did someone ask you what is QA testing? What is QC? and their difference? You might get confused and embarrassed at that time. It does not have any rocket science.

QA is about preventing the errors, and QC is rectifying them after their detection. Read the blog to get a deep insight into this topic. 

What is QA Testing?

Quality assurance testing is a quality assurance (QA) or quality testing process that guarantees a business offers the finest products or services available.

QA encompasses all actions centered on adopting standards to ensure that software meets a specific set of requirements before its release. The actual testing of items is not part of QA.

However, it concentrates on the methods that will secure the best likely outcome. Quality assurance activities are process-oriented.

Organizations must also ensure that their processes for delivering the intended results meet quality benchmarks. QA attempts to offer consistent outcomes through a set of defined procedures.

Types of QA Testing 

1. Data Conversion testing

Data conversion testing is essential to ensure that your files and data do not corrupt when data transfers from one to another.

It makes sure that new and old systems are compatible and discovers the defects in the application. One should perform data conversion testing at every step like before, in process, and after data migration. 

2. Regression Testing

A good software product keeps updating based on the new functionality and technology trend, but a new addition to software can affect previous features.

The regression testing confirms whether the product works the same as it was working before the update. You can perform regression testing manually and through using automated tools. 

3. Mobile Testing

Mobile apps and software are different from desktop or web apps. Mobile apps have less memory, compatibility, and network issues, so they need to be tested separately with testing processes.

The process of testing mobile devices is mobiles testing that focuses on the performance and functionality of the mobile apps in a variety of scenarios. 

4. User Acceptance Testing

We can call user acceptance testing (UAT) end-user testing. It is the final stage of the testing process and validates from the user perspective. The users use the software, application, or web app and let the developer know if it is completing the requirements. 

5. Software Performance Testing

The developers of an app are continuously looking for confirmation of the specifications and capabilities. Through a series of trials, performance testing helps establish those limitations and verify the correctness by checking for speed, scalability, and stability.

Quality Assurance VS Quality Control

• The primary goal of quality assurance is to prevent faults and errors. The primary purpose of quality control is to correct defects after identifying them.
• QA employs a preventive and proactive approach, whereas QC implies a corrective and reactive approach.
• QA is process-oriented means that relates to the systematic and planned activities involved in the development. QC is product-centric – it is concerned with operations and the methodologies used to examine and ensure that quality requirements are satisfied.
• All personnel involved in the development of the product or service bear responsibility. It is the responsibility of a particular team to test the product or service for bugs and fix them.
• Quality assurance includes managing the quality by defining strategies and establishing standards to follow throughout the life cycle. QC entails adhering to the established guidelines as the project proceeds to verify the quality, detect problems, and repair them.

QA Analyst VS QA Tester

• To determine product performance, a Test Engineer develops test techniques and conducts evaluations. It might happen at any time during the design or manufacturing process. Rather than been directly involved with testing, a QA Analyst works closer to the production end of the business, writing inspection procedures and auditing the process on the production floor.
• A QA Analyst does not have an engineering degree, and career chances are confined to other quality control positions. Application Engineering, Design Engineering, and Engineering Management are all engineering professions that a Test Engineer can move in.

QA Software Testing Tools

1. IBM rational Quality Manager: This proprietary tool aids in the management and planning of test cases and the generation of detailed information on test execution statuses. This tool also connects with several other bug management programs.
2. Selenium: It makes it possible to develop functional and regression automation test suites using automation testing. These scripts can run in a variety of contexts. These scripts are also cross-browser compatible. In exploratory testing, QA might record a series of steps to perform on a browser many times.
3. Postman: This is a simple API testing tool that API developers, API integrators, and QA teams may use to get rapid responses throughout the testing phase.
4. Code Coverage: It ensures quality management in the code, impacts the product’s quality, and defects during the QA cycle. It also checks for duplicate code, coverage of written code based on unit tests, and coding standards compliance, among other things.
5. Load Runner: This service monitors the performance of both web-based and native mobile applications. It can execute tests from numerous locations as well as in the cloud. Your development environment relates to this service.

Is QA Testing a Good Career

Yes, a QA tester is a good career choice because it does not require any high-level degree. You should have hands-on experience with testing, and that is all.

Moreover, according to a Forbes survey, QA testing is one of the high-paying fields. So, why leave it if you have an interest in it. 

Conclusion

You can now answer the question we arose in the starting that what is QA testing? What is QC testing? And their difference.

Both tests are essential as they help to keep your applications up-to-date and error-free. That is why most companies hire a QA tester or engineer to prevent their developed software from defects. 

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