The SQA2 Blog: Software Quality
The most effective way to ensure the quality of your product is not just finding and fixing bugs—it’s implementing a strategy that integrates quality assurance (QA) from the beginning. A zero-defect environment may seem impossible, but with these Software Quality Assurance (SQA) best practices, you’ll be well on your way to preventing issues before they arise. Implement these best practices to deliver exceptional software every time.
1. Shift Left: Involve QA Early
One of the most critical steps in any effective SQA strategy is the proactive integration of QA early in the development process. This approach, known as a “shift left” strategy, identifies and addresses potential issues before they escalate, unlike traditional methods where QA starts testing only after the build is complete.
“If you start your QA process when you get the build to test, that is already too late. You need to be able to involve QA from the beginning – starting from the design and requirement gathering stages,” said Willie Linares, QA Architect and VP at SQA2.
Why is that important? QA professionals often possess extensive domain knowledge about the product, which can be invaluable during the design phase. For example, QA can ask crucial questions like, “Hey, this feature utilizes a multi-selector on this page, but you are using a radio button here. Should we keep them consistent?” Their early involvement helps prevent conflicts and ensures a more cohesive product.
2. Prioritize Clear Requirements
One of the biggest challenges for QA teams is obtaining clear, up-to-date requirements, making effective communication and documentation essential. Without clarity, teams can be left in the dark, leading to confusion, delays, and costly rework.
We’ve seen this firsthand:
In one project, the Product Manager changed a feature’s requirements in Confluence but did not communicate the updates to the team or reflect them in the JIRA ticket. When the feature was released, both the Stakeholders and Product teams were surprised that it behaved differently than expected. The product team had anticipated the changes, but the QA and development teams were working from the original requirements. This lack of communication resulted in significant confusion, delayed the release, and required last-minute rework to meet expectations.
This scenario could have been avoided with clear and consistent communication of the updated requirements. Ensuring that changes are documented and communicated effectively is key to keeping the team aligned and avoiding such costly misinterpretations.
To overcome this challenge:
- Engage Early: Sprint planning is a critical time. It’s when you should ask as many questions as necessary to ensure requirements are precise and documented before development begins.
- Document and Communicate Changes: When requirements change, it’s crucial to promptly update the relevant documentation or ticket. This practice is not just a formality, but a key step in preventing misinterpretations and delays in development. Once the documentation is updated, send it to the whole team. Sending it to one person or department is not sufficient.
3. Utilize Essential Tools and Technologies
Proper tooling enables better organization, reporting, and scalability of QA efforts. Fortunately, today’s QA teams have many tools and technologies available to streamline testing and ensure quality.
- Test Case Management: Shifting away from spreadsheets, which are prone to errors and data loss, can significantly improve the tracking and management of test cases. Tools like JIRA, Zephyr, and TestRail not only provide centralized locations for managing test cases and documentation but also excel at creating reports for test results, as noted by Linares. This feature is particularly beneficial for QA teams, as it streamlines the testing process and ensures quality.
- Automation Tools: The use of automation tools such as Selenium and cloud-based platforms like SauceLabs and BrowserStack is a game-changer in testing efficiency. These tools enable scalable, repeatable regression testing and faster test cycles. By running multiple instances of automation tests simultaneously, teams can significantly reduce the time spent on manual testing and catch issues more effectively. This highlights the crucial role of these tools in modern QA testing.
4. Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Tracking KPIs is crucial for measuring the effectiveness of QA processes. While the number of bugs is essential, you can’t stop monitoring there. Dig deeper by breaking the bugs into the development phase and application area. “Determining at what point a bug is created will help the team understand where improvements can be made. This also applies to what part of the application has the most bugs. Understanding these patterns can guide your team in making targeted improvements,” said Linares.
5. Implement Effective Bug Labeling
Proper categorization enables easier tracking, reporting, and identification of problematic areas over time.
“An often overlooked but highly effective practice is implementing a robust bug labeling system. Being able to tag bugs by feature, sprint, and release will help make bug tracking and reporting very easy to do and less of a nightmare to gather metrics in the future,” says Linares.
By spending the time to add these labels to bugs, you can tie those to KPIs or identify which parts of the application require more attention and enhancements. “In the past, we have generated detailed reports based on these labels and provided them to Engineering Managers to help with retrospectives for specific features. These reports allowed teams to analyze the main issues within a feature area, determine how to address recurring problems, and update processes to prevent similar issues in the future,” said Linares. Bug reporting isn’t just about highlighting mistakes or pointing fingers at development—it’s a valuable tool for understanding what’s missing and how to improve processes, leading to fewer issues down the line.
Better, Faster Software Release with SQA2
By incorporating these best practices into your SQA strategy, you can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of your quality assurance processes. From involving QA early to utilizing advanced tools and tracking meaningful KPIs, these strategies will help ensure that your software meets the highest quality standards.
At SQA2, we offer high-quality software QA/QE experts to help you improve your releases. Our services are designed to make your software launches more efficient, allowing you to launch reliably and with fewer defects. Our processes and tools follow best practices, ensuring you deliver projects on time, every time. Partner with SQA2 to get more done faster.
