Contact us
Our team would love to hear from you.
Back to blog
The concepts and goals of quality management in software development
The demand for quality products makes organizations build a strong quality management system to achieve high-quality processes and lower operational risks. In this article, we will find out what lies behind the concept of quality management, and why it is important for software development.
What is quality management?
Quality management is, very broadly, a set of actions aimed at doing things right. It includes planning, defining project standards, identifying the staff responsible, and determining product quality indicators.
Quality management implies the use of specialized software which can display and document information, provide process visualization, control changes, report, etc.
Below are the key quality management components:
- Quality planning. The process of determining which standards are important to the project and figuring out how to meet them.
- Quality assurance (QA). A set of activities that ensure the implementation of the processes necessary to meet quality requirements.
- Quality improvement. Deliberate changes made to a process in order to increase the reliability.
- Quality control. The process of ensuring that the product’s quality is maintained.
Total Quality Management
Differences between Quality Control, QA, and TQM
Along with quality management, there exists the concept of Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM helps improve both the quality of products and the quality of organization management in the company. In other words, this approach focuses on implementing customer requirements, improving the company’s business performance, and increasing the level of satisfaction and employee interest. TQM principles are reflected in a number of agile development methodologies, as well as ISO quality management standards.
Quality assurance and quality control in software development
Quality assurance and quality control are integral parts of any software development process. Let’s consider them in more detail.
QA in software development combines such activities as design, programming, release, deployment and implementation, maintenance and support. QA aims at:
- Ensuring that delivery is free of defects and matches non-functional requirements.
- Checking if the product is compliant with standards and regulations (formal, industry, local and international laws, etc.).
- Working with requirements.
- Planning tests.
- Selecting tools for testing, and more.
Quality control for software development
Quality control is an essential part of quality assurance. It is one of the main quality management processes which provides an objective reflection of the product quality at different stages of the development. Quality control shows whether the solution is of good quality or needs improvements. It also verifies whether the system is compliant with the requirements, and the degree of readiness of the release of the finished product. If quality management can be described as the process of planning actions aimed at meeting quality requirements, then quality control is the process of researching, measuring, and evaluating the quality level of the end result.To put it simply, quality control together with QA are aimed at “doing the right things” in order to get the expected results.
Quality control consists of comparing the end product with the quality indicators in the documentation created at the previous stages.
Quality control methods and techniques include:
- verification
- validation
- testing
- code inspection
- software architecture analysis
- prototyping
- profiling.
Conclusion
Quality management, quality assurance, and quality control should always go hand in hand with the development process. Ensuring that quality criteria are met across the full life cycle of software development leads to improved processes, increased employee commitment, and – last but not least – to customer satisfaction.
If you are looking for a prominent quality assurance company, feel free to get in touch with EffectiveSoft.
Blog
Related articles
Performance testing: a complete guide for the modern high-load product
The goal of any digital product is flawless performance. This can’t be achieved without performance testing, which is often quite complex and requires expert assistance.
Regression testing in Agile: what, when, why, and how
Have you ever encountered a situation when something stops working after a change has been made? This can also happen in software development. To prevent this issue, quality assurance (QA) engineers perform regression testing.
Specifics of medical device software testing
In the drive for innovation, the line between life-saving technology and potential risk is thin. This expert analysis confronts the key challenges in medical device software testing, where the cost of failure is measured in human health. This expert analysis confronts the key challenges in medical device software testing, where the cost of failure is in terms of human health. Our examination of IEC 62304 and accompanying standards unpacks how rigorous standards and unwavering diligence form the firewall against these risks, ensuring that the software at the heart of healthcare remains both revolutionary and, above all, safe.
White box penetration testing: what it is, techniques, and steps
Hacking your system to ensure its security may sound weird, it’s actually the most efficient way to identify vulnerabilities in software. That’s what penetration testing is for. One of its approaches is known as white box testing.
Agile QA testing process: methodology and best practices
Nowadays, Agile is a common practice among businesses as it offers companies many benefits such as flexibility, increased product quality, quick response to change, and risk minimization. In the iterative development scenario, quality assurance testing holds a valuable place.
Seven principles of software testing
Proper software testing not only helps prevent errors, gaps, and defects but also improves the quality and reliability of a product to ensure the desired level of user experience. But how do you implement the right testing strategy? Here are seven principles of testing to keep in mind.
Black box penetration testing: definition, benefits, and techniques
To defeat a hacker, think like a hacker — penetration testing is designed to help you with this mission. The core concept is to simulate the behavior of cybercriminals detecting possible vulnerabilities that could provoke incorrect operation of the system or compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information.
Gray box testing
No development process should proceed without software testing, as it is essential that an application is secure and works properly. To expose any threats, risks, or vulnerabilities affecting an application, gray box testing can be used.
Approaches, stages, and types of penetration testing
Penetration testing is an effective layer of defense for any company that uses IT technologies. Keeping your data and software systems secure from cyber threats is an essential part of the development cycle. That’s where penetration testing comes into play.
Software security testing: types, tools, and best practices
Security testing is one of the most crucial processes in the application development lifecycle, though it cannot guarantee that the system is absolutely secure. In this article we will provide a security testing definition, describe where it is applied, and explain its types and principles.
The importance of performance testing for a modern product
According to the research, a one-second delay in page load time leads to eleven percent fewer page views, a sixteen percent customer satisfaction decrease, and a seven percent loss in conversions. In dollar terms, this means that if a website typically earns $100,000 a day, you could lose $2.5 million in sales a year.
Advantages and disadvantages of automated testing
In 2022, software development companies cannot afford to compromise on quality and speed, which is especially true for such a laborious and time-consuming process as testing. That is why multiple companies have switched to test automation.
Requirements-based software testing
A lot of customers do not often understand what requirements testing is and why it is important. As a result, requirements testing is often overlooked on projects, which leads to multiple problems and miscommunication. In this article, we will explain what requirements testing is and will look at its types and peculiarities.
Order an IT consultation
Fill out the form to receive a consultation and explore how we can assist you and your business.
What happens next?
- An expert contacts you shortly after having analyzed your business requirements.
- If required, we sign an NDA to ensure the highest privacy level.
- A Pre-Sales Manager submits a comprehensive project proposal. It may include estimates, timelines, lists of CVs, etc., for a particular situation.
- Now, we can launch the project.
