Common Misconceptions about QA Testing
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The reputation of a company relies mainly on the quality of the products they manufacture. Note that QA testing is conducted to identify bugs and make a program as defect-free as possible. This makes QA testing a vital part of the software development process. While many companies tend to carry out QA testing in-house, some companies often outsource it. If your company is looking for an outside perspective, the latter choice will be great. However, make sure that the outsourcing company is reliable and trustworthy since they play a huge role in the development of your product.
The Significance of Quality Assurance Testing
QA (Quality Assurance) testing is extremely substantial when it comes to applications and other software products since it can ensure that a program is almost error-free. However, just like most other factors in the software field, there are many myths and misconceptions about QA testing as well. Note that these fallacies can sometimes decrease your product efficiency and, thereby, ruin your business. Hence, it is significant to stay away from all such myths. Some of those common myths about QA testing that you must ignore are listed below.
QA testing is easy
Do you know that QA testing requires minimal or no coding skills? Now, most people may instantly assume that this task will be so easy and almost anyone can tackle it. However, the QA testing process is so demanding and challenging. In fact, an efficient QA tester requires all the following talents.
- Problem-solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Communication skills
- Detail-Oriented
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
These skills are crucial for efficiently planning, developing, and executing tests. Plus, a talented QA tester often showcases a rare combination of soft and hard skills to excel in the field. Without any doubts, finding an efficient QA tester is always a challenge.
QA testers are unnecessary
Usually, QA services are not given the same status or importance as that of a software development team. Note that a QA tester must also possess the ability to handle responsibilities and a unique skill set just like a software developer. As mentioned earlier, when developing a high-end product, organizations must employ expert QA testers to do a rigorous inspection and ensure that the products are completely or almost bug-free.
At the same time, it is to be noted that testing and QA are not always synonymous. When it comes to QA, it requires a high level of skills, forethoughts, perfectly mapped-out strategies while testing a product at every stage of its development and implementation. On the other hand, testing is just a small yet significant aspect of quality assurance.
Testing is regarded as non-tech-savvy
Coding is usually regarded as the be-all and end-all of technological skills. As mentioned earlier, QA testers do not require coding skills to design even a multitude of tests that are conducted to break the software and figure out the bugs. Hence, many people consider this job as non-tech-savvy.
It is to be noted that conducting a quality assurance test on a software product can be way challenging than coding a program, unlike most people thinks. Furthermore, QA tester must be able to explain system errors to the developers and laypeople.
QA testing ensures a bug-free product
Undoubtedly, QA testing can reveal as many bugs as feasible in the software through rigorous testing procedures. However, even the most efficient QA tester will not be able to ensure or guarantee a totally bug-free product. Unlike most people think, this is not even possible with zero time constraints and an unlimited budget.
It is to be noted that almost every final software product will have some kind of bug. Nevertheless, this will not keep these products from meeting the requirements or being functional. In fact, a tester will try their best to minimize the defects and meet the requirements of the product developer rather than making a defect-free product.
Human testers will become obsolete
The technology field is developing drastically every year. No wonder, most people think that the job of human testers will soon be at stake, especially with the rising popularity of artificial intelligence. Most QA testers often fear that they will soon be replaced by machines. However, this kind of assumption is simply unreasonable since manual testing is a significant part of quality assurance. Note that QA testing not only involves the bug-catching part that can be easily automated but also a tester will have to assess the usability, overall quality, feel, and look of the software product.
In simple words, it is like putting oneself in the shoes of a user to envision his/her experience when using the product. This is actually the most important part of the testing. Needless to mention, this is something a machine cannot replace as of now. Nevertheless, automated tools will be a great help when it comes to repeating tests that have already been carried out manually. This way, machines can help human testers in the overall process but not replace them.