The importance of QA within the development lifecycle

Quality Assurance: Why is it important

Quality Assurance (QA) brings many invaluable benefits to developers and custom software agencies, be it its capacity to detect issues and mitigate risks early on or its contribution to an enhanced development process.

Robust QA processes don't just guarantee software quality, they protect your reputation and streamline the journey from concept to deployment. So to say the least, QA in software development matters. Let’s have a look at all the reasons why here.

Mitigating risks early thanks to issue detection

Getting QA involved right from the start of development helps catch issues early on. And, errors caught during the early stages of development cost significantly less and are easier to fix than those discovered post-launch. This proactive approach not only cuts down on expensive rework but also boosts the overall efficiency of the product.

Plus, by being present throughout the entire lifecycle, QA ensures that each phase, from requirements gathering to deployment, produces results that meet or exceed expectations. By testing incrementally, a QA developer prevents small issues from turning into big, expensive ones.

Improving product quality and user satisfaction

QA plays a crucial role in ensuring that the software meets quality standards and user expectations. This is because implementing comprehensive testing strategies allows to reduce the number of bugs and defects and improves the product’s performance and reliability.

In other words, by systematically testing and validating software against specific requirements, software development quality assurance makes sure that the product is reliable, functional, and always performs as intended. This, in turn, leads to higher customer satisfaction.

Enhancing collaboration and workflow

Whether you’re working in Agile sprints or following a more traditional Waterfall approach, QA in development encourages collaboration among teams. This is because QA development is not just a matter of finding bugs and issues within the code, but it is also about creating a shared responsibility for quality. It also helps bring a common understanding of problems and feature expectations.

On top of that, QA helps improve the overall development process by:

• Providing a quality-focused view during every phase of the project

• Finding inefficiencies and gaps in the development workflow

• Bringing in specific metrics to track how well the project is doing In short, this approach enhances team dynamics, simplifies and improves workflows, and strengthens alignment across departments.

Faster time-to-market

While it may seem that you are adding extra steps to your processes, QA actually accelerates development cycles. Catching bugs early and approving code gradually reduce the need for extensive rework and allow for faster and smoother releases.

Ensuring scalability and adaptability

QA doesn't stop at launch; it’s essential in maintaining the health and scalability of your app or custom software. As you respond to new user needs or integrate emerging technologies, QA makes sure that any updates or new features won’t compromise your system’s stability.

Similarly, QA guarantees that your software architecture is ready for future growth and easy maintenance. A well-tested codebase means you can enhance and troubleshoot more easily over time, which is key for the long-term success of your project.

7 key QA practices in the SDLC

Now that we have gone over how important QA is in web development, let’s take a look at the main QA practices you can find in the different SDLC models.

Early involvement: QA should be part of the process from the get-go, beginning with analyzing requirements and specifications.

Continuous monitoring: Make sure everyone sticks to the agreed standards and procedures throughout the development journey.

Risk management: Incorporate risk assessment and strategies to tackle potential issues as part of your QA routine.

Test-Driven Development (TDD): Start by writing tests before diving into the code to boost reliability and cut down on errors.

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): Build on TDD by creating natural language scenarios that focus on the behavior of the application from the user’s perspective and improve communication among everyone involved.

Code reviews: Conduct peer reviews to maintain code quality and promote knowledge sharing.

Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): Automate the integration, testing, and deployment processes for faster QA feedback.

Implementing QA in development for your next digital product

Quality Assurance is more than just a step in the software development process, it’s the foundation for creating dependable, scalable, and user-friendly digital products. When QA is integrated into every phase of development, teams can reduce risks, improve efficiency, and make sure their software goes above and beyond what users and clients expect.

At Miyagami, we know that excellence in web and software development starts with robust quality practices. From manual testing to the latest automation tools, we implement QA solutions that fit each project’s unique requirements. With our own approach to SDLC and QA, our team of skilled full-stack developers works along you to deliver superior digital products and ensure they evolve seamlessly with your business needs.

Let us help you turn quality into a competitive advantage. Reach out to explore how we can work together to bring your vision to life!