QA and testing are interconnected processes essential for creating high-quality digital products. Quality assurance engineers and analysts are involved in all stages of the digital product development process, from design to post-market improvement.
In contrast, software testers perform their tasks at the stage of checking the website, online service, mobile application, or other finished product. They look for bugs and suggest ways to solve the identified problems. Testers do not necessarily interact with all the specialists involved in the development. They start working after the basic functions and interface have been created, based on established quality standards.
Let's take a closer look at the responsibilities of testing and QA specialists.
What does a Quality Assurance Specialist do?
QA analysts check digital products for compliance with company requirements and industry standards. This process is called quality engineering and involves ensuring certain product characteristics at all stages of its development.
- Design and planning. During the material collection for creating a specific solution, a QA specialist can anticipate certain difficulties and help other specialists choose the most effective paths.
- Development. Without quality assurance, the direct creation process of software, a website, etc., cannot fully occur. An analyst or engineer can collaborate with programmers, considering the functions and interface features important to users.
- Testing. The responsibility of a QA specialist also includes evaluating the finished product, checking its usability, security, and other properties. However, it is at this stage that the tester actively participates in the work.
- Delivery. After making the final changes, the company releases the product and analyzes the reaction of the first users. If there are any comments or negative feedback, the causes of the errors need to be identified and eliminated. In such a case, the quality assurance specialist also performs their functions.
Thus, quality assurance often continues after the product's market release. Target audience representatives can express their wishes regarding its design, functionality, and reliability. And this is what distinguishes QA from traditional quality control measures: it takes place throughout the entire production process and after it.
Thanks to software testing and quality assurance, an organization can reduce defect elimination costs and increase sales. After all, users trust companies that usually offer high-quality solutions with impeccable content and design.
The goal of QE is to ensure product quality from the very beginning, minimizing potential losses caused by defects. Among the key goals of software quality engineering are process control and monitoring, implementing standards and basic metrics, collecting and analyzing data, developing tests, identifying problems and ways to solve them, and corrective actions after product release. The scope of a QA specialist includes finding defects, analyzing their density, monitoring code coverage, searching for and studying the root causes of deficiencies. To start working in IT, it is advisable to take a certified software testing and quality assurance course.
What does a Software Tester do?
A software tester evaluates how well the product meets standards. They come into action after the product is created and before it is released to the market, specifically at the testing stage. The types of tests depend on the specific industry.
Typically, the requirements for test engineers are stricter than for quality control engineers. They must have knowledge of specific testing practices and relevant skills.
Software testers usually have a highly specialized education. At the same time, finding good vacancies for this position can be faster, as special technical skills are highly valued by employers. Many are given software testing and quality assurance training and choose their current direction after taking online courses.
Specialists involved in testing must understand its four main levels:
- Unit testing
- Integration testing
- System testing
- Acceptance testing
They perform both manual and automated testing, so they must be able to create test cases for codes and write scripts to automate processes.
Thus, the difference between quality assurance and software testing primarily lies in the scope of work and the specialization of tasks. In the first case, the specialist must be involved at all stages of product development and promotion, while in testing, the depth of knowledge and the perfection of technical skills are crucial.
A tester must know the basic programming languages and independently conduct manual and automated testing. A quality assurance specialist must thoroughly understand the business and the specific product, as they are responsible for its compliance with the end user's needs and industry standards.
What is Software Testing?
Software testing is the process of checking for errors before release. It can involve performance evaluation, compatibility, security, load testing, functional testing, or other types of testing, either manual or automated.
What is Quality Assurance?
Quality assurance is the monitoring of a digital product's properties to ensure its compliance with organizational and industry standards. The control focuses on the usability and reliability of the website, application, program, etc. It begins at the design stage and continues after the product is released to the market.
