Building custom software from scratch is a costly, time-intensive, and complex process.
However, the most important step in that process is, unfortunately, the most overlooked. Quality assurance testing is the key to a successful software development process.
That’s because QA teams and software testing & outsourcing companies help businesses create higher quality software that is free of bugs and other costly coding errors. In addition, QA testing helps project managers ensure that they are meeting end-user needs and building better user design into their software.
Finally, QA testing is the key to creating successful software that is free of major cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This is especially important given the increasingly large number of data breaches that occur every year.
Meet End-User Needs
The most important goal of any software development project should be to meet end-user needs and create a product that they are happy to use.
While this may seem like a relatively straightforward process, a surprisingly large amount of software development projects fail to meet end-user needs or fulfill the original goals of the project.
In fact, research has found that only 29% of IT projects are deemed a success–and a full 19% are marked as complete failures. Just as shocking, 75% of executives believe that their next software development project is destined to fail.
QA testing, especially the one integrated into every stage of the software development project, can help companies avoid software development failures by requesting end-users’ feedback throughout the development lifecycle.
That’s a major reason why so many companies are turning to cutting-edge development approaches, like continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD), DevOps, and multidisciplinary development teams, in order to constantly ensure that the software being developed will be popular with users.
Higher Quality Code
The most important benefit that the development team itself derives from QA testing is the ability to produce higher-quality code that is free of errors and vulnerabilities.
This benefit is especially important because programmers are human beings who regularly make mistakes when writing code. Research shows that the typical software engineers make, on average, “100-150 errors for every thousand lines of code.” Furthermore, it can be incredibly difficult for the author of that code to identify mistakes.
These errors are not benign either. Experts have found that poor quality software and code cost American companies and consumers an estimated $2.5 trillion in 2018 alone. Most of that loss comes from software defects, coding mistakes, canceled projects, and problems with older software.
By integrating QA testing into the development project, executives can reduce the number of errors found in the code, improving the quality of the overall software and removing some of the burdens from the development team itself.
One of the best ways to reduce the number of coding errors is through multidisciplinary development teams or continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD). Both of these approaches to software development integrate regular QA testing into every step of the process.
Better User Design
The last decade of software development has been marked by a renewed focus on user experience and interface design.
These concepts, which were largely an afterthought before the rise of Apple Computers in the 2000s, describe how the software looks, feels and performs for end-users.
Companies are focusing so heavily on these ideas because the modern consumer has come to expect their software to work flawlessly and intuitively out-of-the-box. In addition, today’s customers expect software to look great and be visually appealing.
QA testing, when done in conjunction with user design experts and end-users, helps companies produce better quality software that looks and works smoothly for customers–a determining factor in whether the software will ultimately be successful in the market.
Businesses intent on producing high-quality software for the consumer market should work with a QA testing service to create a QA testing strategy and to bring in highly-paid experts only as-needed.
Keep Data Secure
The last, but certainly not least, important benefit derived from QA testing is improved software security. This is a key benefit given the current cybersecurity climate.
American CEOs ranked cybersecurity as their number one “external concern” for 2019 and 2020. That’s because the number of annual data breaches is increasing. In fact, they are predicted to cost businesses more than $6 trillion a year by 2021.
What’s more – experts believe that hackers attempt to break into a computer “every 39 seconds on average.” Even more shocking, a single data breach costs companies an average of $3.86 million in financial damages, including lost business, cybersecurity costs, brand damage, and regulatory fines. Such a number will only increase as prominent data privacy regulations take effect.
Companies can improve their data privacy efforts and avoid costly breaches by investing in their in-house cybersecurity teams and working with a trusted software QA service. This will help the development team integrate cybersecurity considerations into the software design and thoroughly test for weaknesses during the QA process.
Conclusion
QA testing just may be the most important part of the software development process. This step ensures that software is thoroughly tested for problems and embarrassing bugs before it is released to the public and the company’s reputation is put on the line.
First-time project managers and experienced executives alike should invest in their in-house QA teams or consider working with a QA company. This will help improve the quality of code and reduce the number of human errors.
In addition, QA testing will ensure that the software fulfills end-user needs, has a better user interface and experience design, and that it is free from major vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
