My role as a Business Analyst is to get the best understanding of the client's business and its surroundings. Focusing on end-users' needs and pains along with analyzing the market trends allows me to help you with mitigating any related risks.

Maciej Hubert

I am a QA Software Engineer with three years of commercial experience. I served worldwide clients with logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a feature/project.  I support the development teams in all product development stages, ensuring all features meet quality objectives.  

Mateusz Pękal

As a QA engineer, I ensure that our final products meet the company’s quality standards while supporting programming teams throughout the development process.

Natalia Witek

\[TOC\]

The process of assessing a system or its components to see if it complies with requirements is known as ‘Quality Assurance Testing.’ Software quality assurance carries out a series of operations to spot any bugs and issues.

This article will discuss the steps involved in quality assurance, a general review of QA practices, and an explanation of the duties of a quality assurance manager.

## What is Quality Assurance in Software Testing?

Software quality assurance aids in the identification of potential issues and flaws in IT products, as well as verifying the compliance of all business scenarios and user needs.

The terms 'Testing,' 'Quality Assurance,' and 'Quality Control' are frequently conflated or used in the same sentence. These terms, however, describe a variety of separate processes, including:

* **Testing** refers to the process of finding bugs in an application or software.
* **QC (Quality Control)** It involves putting the testing procedure into practice through case description, search, and issue establishment;
* **QA** **(Quality Assurance)** is establishing a control system to defend against errors during the software development phase and minimize the number of flaws during the testing phase. It entails the design of the testing procedure.

We requested detailed reviews of the QA software testing procedure from the quality assurance specialists on our software development team, as well as an explanation of why QA testing services are required for all software development projects.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/870x565/fb7d875793/why-do-we-need-qa-specialists.jpg)

### Why do we need QA Specialists to Conduct Quality Assurance Process?

This topic was hotly debated in IT five to six years ago. However, a firm providing software testing services will still be in need in the next years. IT testing needs to be done by experts with the necessary training.

So, **what is QA testing**? What do quality assurance specialists do?

1. They examine all connections between various settings and portions of code that aren't part of the software they created themselves;
2. They simulate the experience of a user for whom the product is being developed while conducting tests;
3. The QA engineer's work is not only to design and build software but also includes minimizing the possibility of its breakdown.

## What is Verification and Validation in Software Testing?

Verification is making sure a software program accomplishes its objective error-free. The procedure is used to check whether the generated product is acceptable. It checks to see if the created product satisfies our standards. Static testing is verification.

***Does validation entail whether we are constructing the product correctly?***

The process of validating a software product involves determining if it meets high-level criteria or, to put it another way, is up to par. It is the process of ensuring that the product we are building is genuine or the appropriate product. It serves to validate the real and anticipated product. Dynamic testing occurs throughout validation.

### Differences between Verification and Validation

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/870x883/1a7ab8accc/table.jpg)

#### Verification Process

**The verification** process helps to ensure that the product is designed to deliver all functionality to the customer.

* The development process is started with verification. Examining papers, plans, codes, requirements, and specifications. It involves reviews, meetings, walkthroughs, and other types of inspection.
* It answers queries like, "Am I developing the product correctly?"
* Am I correctly obtaining the data?
* It is a low-level task while creating important artifacts, such as walkthroughs, reviews, inspections, mentor feedback, training, checklists, and standards.
* A demonstration of the software's consistency, completeness, and correctness across each development life cycle phase and between each stage.

#### Verification Process Steps

**Step 1:** Planning + when we perform verification, as part of planning, to determine what we want to include in a particular version of the application

**Step 2:** Execution

**Step 3:** Reporting

<Baner name={qa} />

##### Step 1: Verification Planning

Planning for verification is done at every level of the system that is being developed. The process of creating a verification plan includes:

* **Verification Method and Level Assignments:** Describes the connections between the level of validation and the method of validation for the defined criteria. Analysis, inspection, demonstration, and testing are part of the verification process.

When we perform verification as a part of planning, we should determine what we want to include in a particular version of the application. Verification results could be inaccurate if the wrong techniques are used

##### Step 2: Verification Execution

The execution of a certain verification assignment while using supporting tools. Results of the verification task—whether they come from a test, analysis, inspection, or simulation—are reported for compliance or non-compliance with evidence to support the finding.

##### Step 3: Verification Reporting

Provides a summary of the outcomes of the performed verification plan and confirms that all areas of the application were tested with no potential threats or bugs (and any bugs were reported and will be checked again).

### Test cases to improve the Verification process

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/870x565/0ced993a83/test-cases-to-improve-the-verification-process.jpg)

#### What is a Test Case?

A test case is a collection of operations to confirm a specific feature or functionality of your software application. A test case is a set of test procedures, test information, preconditions, and postconditions created for a specific test scenario to validate any requirement. The test case comprises certain variables or circumstances, which a testing engineer may use to compare predicted and actual outcomes to assess whether a software product is operating as per the client's needs.

#### Best Practice for writing Test Cases

Here are some expert-recommended tips for writing Test Cases:

**1. Test Cases need to be transparent and simple**

Make your test cases as straightforward as you can. As the test case author might not carry them out, they must be clear and simple.

Use direct language, such as going to the main page, inputting your information, and clicking this. This facilitates easy comprehension of the test procedures and speeds up test execution.

**2. Create Test Case with End User in Mind**

Any software project should aim to produce test cases that are simple to use and operate while still meeting client needs. A tester must write test cases with the end user's perspective in mind.

**3. Avoid test case repetition**

Avoid rerunning test cases. Call a test case by its test case id in the preconditioned column if it is necessary for another test case to be run to complete it.

<ReadMore> Read also: [Why Do We Need QA Engineers?](https://selleo.com/blog/why-do-we-need-quality-assurance-engineers) </ReadMore>

**4. Do not Assume**

When creating your test case, don't presume the functionality and features of your software program. Be sure to follow the specification documents.

**5. Ensure 100% Coverage**

A test case should be written to verify each software requirement listed in the specification document. Use the Traceability matrix to verify that no functions or circumstances are left untested.

**6. Test Cases must be identifiable.**

The test case id should be given a name that makes it simple to recognize later when recording software requirements or faults.

**7. Implement Testing Techniques**

It's impossible to test your software program for every conceivable scenario. Software testing methods assist you in choosing a small number of test cases with the best chance of detecting a flaw.

**8. Self-cleaning**

You must not make the test environment useless with the test case you write; rather, it must restore the Test Environment to its pre-test condition. For configuration testing, this is particularly true.

**9. Repeatable** **and self-standing**

The test case should generate the same results every time no matter who tests it.

**10. Peer Review**

Request the review of your colleagues after building test cases. Your colleagues can find the flaws in your test case design that you would easily overlook.

## What is a QA Test Summary Report?

A test summary report thoroughly reviews all the significant information that was recognized and learned during the various testing phases. The software must be delivered to the appropriate stakeholders to communicate its high or bad performance. Therefore, the main goal is to improve their decision-making process while deciding whether to go live.

It allows project stakeholders to evaluate how the test plan was carried out, promoting accountability and openness.

The quality of testing efforts, information gleaned from incident reports, and the performance of the program in various situations are all included in the report.

### How to create a test summary report?

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/870x565/dc450b9d46/how-to-create-a-test-summary-report.jpg)

Generally speaking, depending on your testing exercises, this may vary from business to company. However, a test summary report must include a few typical components listed below.

* A concise assessment of the testing's effectiveness.
* Testing effort quality.
* Evaluation of the software's quality.
* Statistics were gathered from incident reports.
* A summary of the test's outcomes.

There should be brief mentions of the project and product. For example, the name of the project, the official or preferred product name, and the specific product's version.

#### Purpose

Include a brief description of why the report was created. For example, "The accompanying report is a summary of all the insights discovered during the various testing phases of the ABC project,"

#### Software/Product Overview

You can follow the below example as a reference.

**Objective and Testing Scope**

The stakeholders can comprehend the testing-related functions included and excluded in this section. Details on the things that aren't tested and the reasons why. The limitations, obstacles, and lessons learned at each step are also discussed.

For instance: "A verification that requires third-party connectivity was not feasible. A technical issue led to this, which will shortly be fixed.

**Magical Metrics**

The most intriguing and significant one thus far. The essential understanding of certain complicated data is made possible by the crucial metrics in a visual depiction. The greatest way to grasp something is generally via the use of visuals.

Metrics like:

* Test cases passed vs. failed
* Cases planned vs. executed
* Total defects found, their severity, and status
* Module-wise defects distribution

<Baner name={qa-landing} />

#### Types of Testing

The data about a project's extensive testing was used. This ensures that all testing is carried out per preceding plan agreements. Here are a few excellent examples.

* Smoke Testing
* Regression Testing
* System Integration Testing

a) Smoke Testing: If a build is obtained, this testing is carried out to make sure the essential features are operating as intended. Accepting the build will enable you to begin testing later.

b) Regression testing is re-running functional and non-functional tests to ensure that previously developed and tested software still performs after a change. If not, that would be called a *regression*.

c) System integration testing is conducted to determine whether the entire piece of software complies with the requirements without any issues. Additionally, several business scenarios are evaluated to ensure that the crucial operations are operating as intended.

#### Testing Environments

The details of the testing environments should be recorded here, with accurate data. Follow the below format:

* Application URL
* Server
* OS
* Device
* Database
* Tools used example: Quality Centre (HP ALM)

#### Lessons Learned

This is a simple part of learning experiences, not for stakeholders. Throughout the problem encountered, remedies are identified, and critical decisions are taken. These documented errors can be avoided in the next round of testing. Examples: The Problem - Manual testing is difficult in smoke test situations.

**Solution** – Test cases were automated, and scripts ran, saving time.

#### Recommendations and Improvements

You are welcome to make suggestions that would strengthen the software testing. For instance, more effective test management systems with useful integrations can be employed for rapid and efficient testing.

#### Test results

A detailed inventory of all functionalities checked and the defects found.

* Details about test case results also should include the links to issues of only failed and blocked test cases
* No. of bugs found
* Status of bugs (opened, resolved, and depending)
* List it by severity and priority

#### Exit Criteria

The portions that include the majority of the details are additional yes-or-no questions. It may be summed up as the testing process is finished once all predetermined conditions are satisfied. Here are a few instances:

* Planned test cases are executed – Yes
* The defects and all kinds of severity are entirely verified and closed – Yes

Again this may differ from project to project and company to company.

<ReadMore> Read also: [Best Tools For Remote Work To Try Out ](https://selleo.com/blog/best-tools-for-remote-work)</ReadMore>

#### Conclusions

* The testing team's readiness to go live is discussed in this specific session. Inform the audience if the testing didn't satisfy the exit conditions.
* It is not recommended that the application or program go online.
* The following recommendation should be made if the program satisfies the exit criterion and meets all the requirements.

We recommend the software/application go live because it complied with the exit criteria and the conditions listed in section 9.

#### Definition, Abbreviation, and Acronyms

A QA test summary report explains the intricate testing procedure and its outcomes to the stakeholders.

Sometimes the phrases used in the report may not all be known to the stakeholders. It would be preferable if you included such information in the report itself. As crucial as the testing itself is, making communication simple. Furthermore, don't fill your report with technical jargon; not every stakeholder is an engineer and won't be able to grasp them.

## Summary

A QA process and report helps to:

1. Assist in reducing the number of defects in the latter stages of development.
2. Make it easier to comprehend the product in the long run if it is verified from the outset of creation.
3. Lessen the likelihood that the product or piece of software will fail.
4. Aid in producing a product that meets the requirements and needs of the client.

Furthermore, once a QA Analyst/Specialist sees that all of the flow has been validated, he can approach the release with greater calm. Furthermore, the report's format is legible even by the OP, who is not technically savvy, which is sometimes critical.  
If you have further questions regarding the QA process or would like a QA done for your products, [Contact us now](https://selleo.com/contact)!

This article will discuss the steps involved in quality assurance, a general review of QA practices, and an explanation of the duties of a quality assurance manager.

QA Process: How To Accelerate Application Performance

If you’re working on any form of a software development project and have never used Google DevTools before, then you could be really missing out. 

Built directly into the Google Chrome browser in the form of a Chrome Extension, Google DevTools (often referred to as Chrome DevTools) is a beneficial set of development tools that could help you save time and money and improve quality on your next project.

Google DevTools could be a real game changer for any web developer. And if you’re not sure where to start with it, don’t worry. We’ve put together a straightforward guide to Google DevTools that will help you get the ball rolling! Stay tuned.

## What is DOM?

**[Document Object Model](https://www.w3.org/TR/WD-DOM/introduction.html)** often referred to as just ‘DOM’ for short, is an ‘object representation’ of a web page. Let’s break it down.

As you may already know, a web page is fundamentally a document, or a set of documents, that can be viewed through a web browser or as a set of HTML source code in a coding programme.

The DOM of that web page enables scripting languages, like Python or [Javascript](/blog/full-stack-javascript-development), to change the layout, the content, the style, and just about everything else within that code language. It kind of translates the HTML element in that sense.

This is super useful, but what exactly does it have to do with Google DevTools? Let’s take a look.

## What is Google DevTools?

As we mentioned before, Google DevTools is a set of development tools that comes in the form of an extension for Google Chrome. It’s effectively a very effective way to view and change the DOM of your web page. 

But that’s not all Google DevTools does. We’ll check out some of the app's key features in a second, but let’s find out how to access it first.

## How to Access Google DevTools

As is the case with the majority of software from Google, DevTools is simple to use and it looks great too, which really adds to the whole experience of using it. Just follow these simple steps and you will be using DevTools for your next project in no time:

1. Open up Google Chrome and press the key combination command + option + J if you are a Mac OS user or shift + control + J if you are on a Windows device. This will load up the DevTools console onto the right-hand side of the browser. Another way to do this is right click on any element website element and choose ‘Inspect’.
2. Select an element in the DOM tree to edit the CSS for that part and change its style. This includes background colours, font size and family and images, to name a few functions.
3. Select an element to edit the HTML if you want to really go into the back end of the development. There is also an HTML panel of the DevTools main menu.

## Key Features of Google DevTools

Besides being able to edit the DOM of a website, there are many really cool features of Google DevTools that you will want to get to know. Let’s check them out:

* It allows you to debug Javascript: anyone who has worked with Javascript to develop web apps or web pages before will be familiar with Javascript bugs. Fortunately, Google DevTools contains a set of debugging tools that can massively reduce the time of debugging in a more manual fashion.
* You can change a page’s style (CSS): it’s easy to maintain full control over the visual aesthetics of your Google DevTools development product thanks to the ease at which you can control the CSS.
* Easily view messages and run Javascript code in the console: Javascript is super easy to handle with Google DevTools. The way it presents messages and allows you to run code through its console is neat and effective.
* It helps you optimize your website's speed: there is nothing unnecessary going on code-wise with Google DevTools. It just does all of the basics very well indeed. This means that your website will be speedy for users to engage with, regardless of how much content you put into it.
* You can inspect network activity: Google DevTools’ network panel is another really nice touch. This allows you to find out if any of your resources have failed to upload or download at any point. Plus, you can inspect the properties of any of those resources at the touch of a button.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x420/115bc63112/key-features-of-google-devtools.jpg)

By the way, you can check out any of these features by heading over to the Google DevTools homepage and taking a look at a demo there. It’s free to use and easy to sign up to try out. Plus, there are a bunch of great tutorial videos that can help you to get started.

## DevTools Components

We just saw an overview of the most important features of Google DevTools, but what about the individual components that make it up? Knowing about these will really improve your understanding of DevTools as a concept and help you to be able to use it better.

<Baner name={qa-landing} />

### Elements

One of the main components of Google DevTools is the Elements pane. During software development with DevTools, any creations or edits of HTML elements made via JavaScript as page loads will be reflected within the rendered HTML. 

Elements help to demonstrate this clearly by showing the page’s code in terms of HTML and CSS. Some important parts of the Element panel to look out for are a follows:

1. Computed: shows the settings of each element
2. : hov: used to force the state of any given element. Because of this, we can preview the style for the state that we are looking for. Those states consist of:
   * Active: fulfills the principle of the pseudoclass: active from the moment of holding the LPM (left mouse button) over the selected area until it is released.
   * Hover: complies with the rule of the pseudo-class: hover, when the mouse cursor is over the area of ​​the element at a given moment.
   * Focus: meets the principle of the pseudo-class: focus, when at a given moment the user focused on a given element (e.g. using the TAB key).
   * Visited: meets the principle of the pseudo-class: visited, when the element is a visited link by the user at a given moment.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/633x821/6552f4de5c/devtoolscreen1png)

Throughout the testing processes of web applications, the Elements panel helps with checking any textbox or image. Anything can be inspected, and a web developer can use this information to figure out the best way to access the element. 

Using this tool is very helpful when writing automated tests and one has to know the ID element. 

Furthermore, the Elements panel also allows us to edit HTML elements, which is great for security testing. Sometimes, buttons have to be hidden or removed altogether, which can be done in the Elements panel.

### Console

Offering up something slightly different to Elements is the DevTools Console panel. Here, we can write code or see registered notifications that will assist us in building and troubleshooting our web applications.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x420/f4433f4760/console.jpg)

This panel is particularly important for testing as it instantly shows us any error on the system and provides detail about it. With this information, web developers can quickly see, identify and fix any issues that may have arisen from the development process.

If the web page does not work correctly, we can see the reasons for this in the Console panel and log messages.

Even more excitingly, we can see when people visit the web page. This can help us build up an idea of what kind of hit rate we are getting, which is crucial to understanding how to build up a customer base.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/727x791/ac1f5f1ef4/devtoolscreen2.png)

The console has various options for displaying messages:

* console.info: differs from console log in that there is an icon in the listing.
* console.group: allows you to group messages, starts with console.group ('info') and ends with console.groupEnd ('info').
* console.groupCollapsed: allows grouped messages, at the same time it is presented using collapsed information.
* console.table: log listing view is represented by a table.
* console.time ('start'): allows you to measure the time for the code being executed, console.time ('test') starts, and console.timeEnd ('test') ends.

<Baner name={qa} />

### Sources

The Sources panel is one of the most important of all of the elements of Google DevTools. We can use the Sources panel for any one of the following reasons:

* Editing CSS and JavaScript, the two main functions of DevTools.
* Viewing files.
* Creating and saving JavaScript ‘snippets’. These are similar to bookmarklets, and you can run them on any page.
* Debugging JavaScript (in this case, you’ll want to use the Sources tab closely with the Console tab)
* Setting up a workspace. That is to say, a place to make changes to DevTools that get saved to the code within your file system.

### Network

Within the Network panel of DevTools, you can inspect the network activity. This will allow you to find and solve network issues to optimise websites.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/736x912/314909f2ab/devtool-screen3.png)

Within the Network panel, you will be able to see all of the requests made to the server while using a web page with configurable columns. 

Plus, when something doesn’t work the way that you planned, you can see every request’s response from the server. This could prove invaluable for troubleshooting and testing because the QA can report any bugs to developers, allowing them to be fixed more quickly.

### Performance

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x420/226f036901/performance.jpg)

The Performance panel shows ‘runtime performance’. This is how your page performs when it is running, as opposed to loading. This is a great way to test the versatility of your web application across a number of different devices and connection speeds. 

Just because your web app looks good on your high-powered computer with superfast broadband, it does not mean it will work at all on a computer with less power and a weaker download speed.

### Memory

With the Memory panel, you will be able to inspect JavaScript ArrayBuffer, just as long as you are using Chrome91 or later.

The two best things about the Memory panel are as follows:

* Open in multiple ways: to inspect the memory of an object or a web page or app, you can either go into the Memory panel through DevTools (More Tools > Memory Inspector) or during debugging by opening a page with JavaScript ArrayBuffer and loading a particular file from the Debugger pane.
* Inspect multiple objects at once: this is a great way to compare the memory of certain aspects of a page to see how they correspond to one another.

### Application

View a variety of web metadata in the Application panel of DevTools, including the resources that your page is using. The data that you can interact within the Application panel includes:

* Editing and clearing of persistent storage
* Starting, updating and unregistering service workers
* Exporting images or copying an image as a Data URI

### Toggle device toolbar

The main function of the Security panel is to simulate device frames. This is super useful in particular for testing apps on mobile, as you can run mobile simulators on websites.

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/1290x865/a3dc36876d/screen5png)

Testing apps on a lot of devices is helpful, considering the variety of devices available to consumers these days. Just because your app works on one or two devices does not mean it’s going to be cross-compatible across many more. That’s where the Security panel comes in handy.

### Lighthouse

Lighthouse is an open-source, automated tool used to improve the quality of web pages and put it simply.

With Lighthouse, we can see reports about any page that include the following super important criteria of a web page:

* Performance (how fast your web page runs)
* Accessibility (effectively how usable your web page is) 
* Best practices (how closely your web page abides by the best rules to live by with running a web app)
* SEO (short for search engine optimization, determining basically how high up your web page will find itself in Google results)

![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/832x938/44a611d231/devtoolscreen4.png)

When you run a report with Lighthouse, you will be able to see all of the parameters listed above as a percentage figure. This is a super neat, no-frills approach to summarise the quality of your web page, and here at Selleo, we are big fans of it!

### AdBlock

The vast majority of us will have come into contact with Google Chrome’s famous browser extension, AdBlock. It can be the bane of ad managers’ and website owners’ lives, to name a few, but a great tool for the average browser.

AdBlock is incorporated into DevTools so that you can see what ads are and are not hidden by the extension. It will also help you prevent AdBlock from picking up content on your web page that is not supposed to be blocked.

## Summary

Google’s DevTools could really be one of the most important developer tools you will ever come across in your career as a web developer, startup founder, or other creative or tech professional.

If you find yourself looking for a top team of **DevTools developers** that you can outsource your work to, then look no further than Selleo. We’ve got all of the skills and expertise you could need to implement DevTools into your next project in fine style.

[Reach out for a consultation today. See you soon!](https://selleo.com/contact)

Google DevTools could be a real game changer for any web developer. And if you’re not sure where to start with it, don’t worry. We’ve put together a very simple guide to Google DevTools that will help you get the ball rolling! Stay tuned.


A Simple Guide to Google DevTools

As a QA engineer at Selleo, my responsibilities include **quality check, writing testing scenarios as well as monitoring the workflow**. I support kick-off meetings in order to discover ambiguities and potential inconsistencies. I also try to help speed-up the communication by updating the flow and introducing improvements within templates and standards.

The goal of this article is to present an algorithm that can aid in **pointing out and fixing issues** with the current process or workflow. However, sometimes, the hardest part is to recognize that there is a problem at all. And even more, that it can be solved. I aim to propose a solution that could help you in the long-term perspective to reach your goals and improve your process in 6 steps.

## Why is process improvement important?

Process improvement helps organizations identify and evaluate the existing problems on a proactive basis. If an organization is not constantly improving, it will likely fall behind in the market since at least some of its competitors will introduce such improvements.

<ReadMore> Read also: [Why Do We Need QA Engineers?](https://selleo.com/blog/why-do-we-need-quality-assurance-engineers) </ReadMore>

Processes that do not work may lead to unhappy customers, stressed team members, cost increase and wasted resources. On the other hand, process improvement can bring benefits like:

* **increased productivity and efficiency** \- an improvement process can help remove inefficiencies and improve productivity
* **better product quality** \- apart from faster development, process improvements can lead to higher product quality
* **improved employee morale** \- inefficient processes can be discouraging for workers
* **competitive advantage** \- continuous process improvements can help set companies apart. It allows creating a uniqueness that, in return, positively influences the competitive advantage.

## 6 steps to improving the process

Any type of business process can be further improved. Generally speaking, we can divide processes into **formal and informal**. The first ones involve anything related to employee or customer safety, finance or legal issues. The latter, are more likely created by individuals or groups within organizations and they might not involve any written instructions. All in all, no matter the process type, they all are designed to streamline the work of individuals and teams, but can have some weaknesses. In order to find out if your project’s workflow has flaws, follow those simple 6 steps:

**![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x503/4cd642f742/6-steps-to-improving-the-process.jpg)**

### 1. Determine the issue

In order to find the issue, you can answer questions like *‘Is there something driving me crazy in the current workflow?’*, *‘Does someone else think the same way?’*. Ask around, determine bottlenecks and possible causes of those problems. Once you determine the issues, write them down and move on to the next step  
Tip: there is no need to find all of the problems at once. It is easier to focus on one at a time anyway.

### 2. Recognize possible solutions

Think about *how* to solve the problem or are there *several* ways to do so? *‘Is it even possible to fix the issue?’*. Take everything into consideration when exploring the possibilities. You can also involve the people in your organization and ask for their input.

### 3. Classify the solutions

The next step is to classify all the recognized solutions taking into consideration how **difficult** or **costly** they might be to implement. You should also think about how time-consuming they are, what are the benefits they will bring to the organization or what are the external and internal limitations to implementing them.

<Baner name={qa-landing} />

### 4. If possible, fix the problem yourself

Obviously, refactoring a bad quality code in a 2-year old project may be out of your hands, but adding a step to the already existing workflow sounds doable. Do not hesitate to ask for help, gather all the required resources or necessary guidance.

### 5. Document it

A great way to document your journey is to write a **case study**, even if it is super-short. It can prove itself to be useful in the future. Do not forget to add the final outcome - did the solution work?

### 6. Store and reuse it

Consider building a repository of the case studies collected and make sure to continuously extend it and make it easily accessible to everybody in your organization - only this way it will truly be helpful.

<ReadMore> Read also: [How To Create Your Team’s Onboarding Documentation? Best Practices For Your Developer Onboarding Process](https://selleo.com/blog/how-to-create-your-teams-onboading-documentation) </ReadMore>

## How to implement your idea in the company?

If you want to add something entirely new to your company (such as the abovementioned repository of case studies) you should keep in mind it may not be super easy. However, there are a few steps you can follow to help you along the way.

Note: try not to start from the beginning, but rather from the end, by answering the following questions:

**![Img](https://a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x294/2c771b3588/how-to-implement-your-idea-in-the-company.jpg)**

* What is the value I want to achieve in the end? (eg. I want common process problems to be solved efficiently)
* What needs to happen in order to achieve it? (eg. if your idea is to build a repository of case studies your answer can be connected to improving the process on projects so that people can easily access it and find the answer)
* How to convince people to use such a repository? (eg. it needs to be very easy to find a problem in the repo AND the case studies need to be easy to update).

<Baner name={qa} />

But the biggest question of all is HOW to achieve the recognized requirements? Let me propose two solutions:

* The documentation has to be **SUPER ACCESSIBLE** (I cannot stress that enough) or it will never be used (and the circle is complete as there is no point in creating documentation that will not be used)  
  How to make documentation accessible? **Make a habit of using it**. For a creator, it is an easy task, but how to convince others to do the same? Consider adding a pop-up in your intranet or dashboard saying eg. *‘Struggling with a process-related problem lately? Want to quickly check if there is something in the Case Study repo?’* Such pop-up should not be displayed every day, as you will trigger another, rather unwanted, habit of closing the popup without much thought. Maybe once or twice a month?
* And the second part - updating the repo. It could also be solved in the same way. Just change the text in the popup to eg. *‘Encountered any process-related problems lately? Want to quickly share a 3-sentence case study?’*. The word ‘quickly’ may be an essential attention-drawer in both popups.

## Conclusions

Process improvements are crucial to the long-term success of an organisation. However, it is important to remember that it is an ongoing action. After you go through the steps of determining its issues and figuring out the solution, remember to document your journey and store it for future reference.

In my experience, it is easier to find flaws in the process with a **QA engineer onboard**, so if you are looking for one, do not hesitate to [contact us](https://selleo.com/software-quality-assurance-services). Our skilled QA team is growing and I am sure we can help your business reach its potential.

I aim to propose a solution that could help you in the long-term perspective to reach your goals and improve your process in 6 steps.

How To Streamline And Improve Your Process? 6 Steps To Follow

Do you know why [Mars Climate Orbiter Spacecraft](https://www.simscale.com/blog/2017/12/nasa-mars-climate-orbiter-metric/), which supposedly the most ground-breaking project, had failed so miserably? Just because someone failed to use the right units.

Seriously? Yes, this is what happens when small errors - that could have been easily avoided by quality testing - are neglected. Do you know, often these basic errors cause unbearable financial or reputation losses no matter whether the project is well documented, delivered on time, and following business requirements.

Think of the time when [Heathrow airport got into trouble](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-24240169) when they opened a new Terminal 5.

So, if you want to avoid such expensive mistakes, think of hiring a Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer, whose main job is to prevent defects, ensuring the quality of your development process and its results.
This is how big ventures secure a sound position in the market. They know how to achieve an edge over their competitors, thanks to their dedicated QA efforts.

## What is Quality Assurance (QA)?

As the name refers, [Quality Assurance (QA)](https://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/quality-assurance) is a systematic process that determines whether a product or service follows the set of requirements. This is the essential element of quality management that focuses on providing confidence in how far the quality requirements have been fulfilled.

Software Quality Assurance aims to improve work processes and efficiency, enabling companies to win customer confidence and boost their credibility. Being preventive, a QA system identifies flaws, if any, in the approaches, methods, techniques, and processes that are designed to complete a project.

QA has two fundamentals:

1. To ensure the highest quality of a product by controlling its progress.
2. To test the hell out of every feature.

Being a part of your team, QA engineers should be involved in the product development process - right from the very beginning. They will identify risks, collect and adjust requirements by analyzing customers’ briefs; and yes, discuss with the developer if some solution will not be accepted.

## Who is a QA Engineer?

A Quality Assurance Engineer is a person who is responsible for the quality of the final product. It is his/her job to maximize the quality of the product by testing it throughout the development process.

The role is different in every company. You might find successful QA Engineers or QA Analysts who don't know anything about the coding or development process, but their work is to test the final product for bugs and fixes. On the other hand, you will find other companies that hire a mid to senior-level developer who also knows every step of the development process or coding. A QA Engineer looks at the quality mainly from a business perspective but mixed with a technical approach.

Let’s discuss in more detail the contribution of a QA Engineer in a Software Development Company.

## A QA Engineer’s Contribution to SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

In a perfect world example, a QA Engineer contributes a crucial part in the entire Software Development Life Cycle. An SDLC testing cycle is a frequency within which QA Engineers conduct five test stages – that is, each sprint.

Check out also my video ["Quality Assurance - test engineer - our way"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYk6p5it6dk&feature=youtu.be)

Here, you will see all the five phases a QA Engineer goes through with specific tasks. So, let’s begin:

![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/a.storyblok.com/f/86602/720x646/1ed30b329e/qa-image.png)

### Phase # 1: Gathering Details – Determining Approach to QA on the Project

It is the first and most crucial stage in the entire SDLC.

In the first initial meeting, a client describes everything they want. They provide an outline of the functionality of the desired platform, may it be a web or app. The client will provide the list of all the things they will need in the platform, from technology to features.

Once the requirement from the client has been obtained, the next tasks include:

* Analyzing and deciding whether the requirements can be integrated into a single system.
* Which solutions will work and which won’t.
* Planning the required software development testing stages and techniques.

### Phase # 2: Validation - Verifying requirements of a planned project

Validation is a process of QA of the project earlier to its development starts. Finding out the project's capability if it will meet users’ expectations and if the idea is worth investing time and money into. During this process, the QA Engineers collaborate with the client and the project leader to research the market and users’ expectations.

The research aims to analyze if the product will make sense to the market and users. Gathering feedback from clients regarding design, features, and usability will help improve the user experience.

Validation is a critical stage, and without it, the product may never reach its audience. This stage also provides indications that the product will be profitable for the client. Otherwise, why bother in the first place?

<Baner name={software-development} />

### Phase # 3: Test Planning – Writing Test Cases

In this stage, a QA Engineer will create test cases or test scenarios. These test cases are basically users’ stories that define how the application will behave. We have listed an example of two such test cases or test scenarios below:

![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/a.storyblok.com/f/86602/663x250/591a3a440e/qa2.png)

If this phase is not clear, the testing process would be full of unexpected obstacles and contingencies. To ensure further stages follow a strict sequence of action, the QA’s job is to make up and document the action plan. Otherwise, the process itself might be clumsy.

We at Selleo use Behavior-Driven (BDD) approach at this stage. BDD solves both of these agile problems beautifully through process efficiency.

### Phase # 4: Testing developed features manually

After the test plan is done, a QA engineer will move on to the next stage, creating a testing environment and executing test cases. It is good to perform various types of tests to ensure the maximum quality of the product. Some of these test examples are:

* **Exploratory Test** – It is a type of software testing in which test cases are not developed in advance, but testers check the system on the fly. Using this test case, a QA will write a list of things he needs to test in the software before execution. The focus of exploratory testing is more on testing as a "thinking" activity. Exploratory testing is all about discovery, investigation, and learning. In this test case, the tester has freedom of responsibility.
* **System Integration Test** – It is defined as a software testing method that took place in an integrated hardware and software environment to verify the behavior of the complete system. This type of software testing is conducted to evaluate the system's compliance with its specified requirement.
* **Regression Tests** – It is defined as a type of testing performed on a recent program or code change that has not adversely affected existing features. A Regression testing is a full or partial selection of already executed test cases which are re-executed to ensure the platform's existing functionalities. The motive of Regression testing to make sure that the old code is still working fine after the latest code changes are done.

### Phase # 5: Test automation

Automated tests are different from manual tests where a human is sitting in front of the computer, carefully executing the test steps. The most significant of automation testing is that test cases are executed automatically which saves a lot of time.

After executing all the tests on the software, if all the functions were working fine, we marked the test as Passed. In this way, we make sure that we are not missing any details, and the product is fine. But if a test case fails, it means the coding is not properly done, and the QA will fail the product and send the report to the developer to check and do the needful.

The QA report explains in detail what went wrong or not. If issues were detected, each of them must be well documented to ensure fast bug fixes without any misunderstandings from the developers’ side.
Now, let’s talk about the advantages you will get from having a QA Engineer in your team.

## Four Key Benefits of having a QA Engineer in your Team

There are thousands of products and services available in the market, so how companies differentiate their product from their competitors to ensure superior quality? This is where the Quality Assurance department, or QA for short, comes into play.

There are countless benefits of having a QA Engineer in your team, but we will talk about the four essential benefits.

### Save Time and Money

A highly-qualified and experienced QA Engineer contributes to building the application, which saves time and money for the company. Just take it this way, if inconsistencies and bugs are not reported at the earlier stage, it will cost the company more time and money to repeat the entire process.

![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/a.storyblok.com/f/86602/612x408/80cc9e8425/5867.jpg)

If developing an extensive software system, miscommunication can easily happen between the developers. This miscommunication can lead to a buggy application. In the worst scenarios, the coding didn’t work at all. A QA Engineer will work throughout the process and keep the chain intact via a proper Test Plan.
Finding ambiguities and mistakes in stated requirements contributes to the biggest value. The sooner a bug is found, the less damage it does to the whole project.

If a QA engineer supports the [kick-off of the project](https://selleo.com/blog/how-good-kick-off-documentation-can-accelerate-your-project/), it can also speed up the whole process as the client knows what to provide from the very beginning.

### Improving the Quality of the Product/Service

If a project team doesn’t have QA Engineers, that means somebody else (developers, analysts, or even project managers) needs to perform tests of the application and may not do it correctly. A QA engineer focuses on approving delivered content instead of delivering the content itself. Because of that, he has a slightly different approach than a developer.

Both developers and testers have the same goal, but the perspective is different. A developer tests the application hoping that no issues are found as that would mean additional work for him or other developers.

A QA engineer is not involved in fixing issues (excluding retesting, which is usually not so time-consuming). That allows him not to be biased by concerns or fear while searching for further issues.

Moreover, as QA engineers spend more time on testing than developers, they know more techniques of how to find bugs and strange behaviors of the application. A QA Engineer spends time researching the market and customers’ demand, so they know what the right motive of the application is. Developers do not improve their skills in testing as much as in developing - this is QA engineers’ role. Some testers are eager to find issues, which is not a bad approach.

### A Proper Alignment of Duties within the Team

The presence of QA engineers in a project helps in dividing the right jobs to the right people. In theory, anybody can click through the application and test provided functionalities.

As a result, everybody happens to do it, so it consumes developers’, analysts’, and project managers’ time, which should be spent on other things. If there are people responsible for QA in the project, everybody can focus on their duties. Besides, the quality of the application gains appropriate attention from people dedicated to assuring it.

### QA Engineers Help Secure Company Reputation

What if the application you just released has many bugs? Well, you will lose your clients, and it will be forever. Repeat the same scenario, but this time, it is the app for a client you are dealing with. Not only will your client reputation be drastically damaged because of a buggy app you designed, but your reputation will be damaged too.

![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/a.storyblok.com/f/86602/808x498/86b573157b/rep.png)

A QA Engineer provides better insight into the product or service. The analysis of a QA engineer can help determine the risk a company faces while launching the application in the market. Quality Assurance team ensures that the product or service introduced by the company is not only of high quality but also as per the expectations of the clients.

Believe it or not, a QA saves millions of rupees of a company from damages and even legal actions that the client might take in case of their loss. Plus, consider the cost of repairing the product or service that has already been launched in the market. Nowadays, QA testing isn’t a formality; it is a business analysis tool.

## Conclusion

A QA Engineer is the need for every company's hour, whether it be a product based or services based. Companies that deal with clients for developing software are more likely to have QA Analysts, QA Specialist, or QA Engineer for ensuring the overall quality of the product.

The development companies with having an impressive and competent QA program can attract more clients. The fact of having an experienced QA team reinforces its reputation as a high-quality supplier with its customers and strengthens employee commitment.

A good QA team helps establish a strong company reputation and ensures that it is successful by providing excellent products, which in turn provides more profit and customer loyalty.

if you want to work with an experienced QA engineer [contact us.](https://selleo.com/custom-software-development-company)

Wondering if you need a QA engineer in your software project? The answer is: yes. There are countless benefits of having a QA Engineer in your team, but we will talk about a few key advantages.

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