In a perfect world, the software works flawlessly, its code doesn’t contain a single bug and releases are done right in time — but does it perform like this in reality? Of course not. Bugs occur more often than you probably want, which makes the role of QA in software development even more significant. Testing is important for the quality of the final product, but it can also save on “repair” costs, boost productivity and strengthen your company’s reputation.

In this article, we highlight the primary benefits of quality assurance and the reasons why you should start using testing in your software development.

1.     Test triangle of QA efficiency

There is a standard of benefits that come along with QA. It improves your productivity and time spent, boosts software quality in general and reduces costs for the entire development process. The contemporary approach to quality assurance is also about how your team interacts with each other, how projects are managed, and how it affects overall costs. And in 99% of cases, it has only a positive impact on the entire SDLC.

2.   Constant Quality is the best trademark

It is difficult to underestimate the importance of QA in software development. The more thoroughly the product is tested, the higher it’s quality. And regular testing of new products or features of releases works to benefit the company’s reputation. The stable quality of the released software directly and positively affect the level of customer confidence, the desire of stakeholders to continue doing business with you, and the overall brand recognition in the market.

3.    The happier users, the better the retention rate

Developers certainly can’t see smiles on the faces of satisfied customers, but high rates on app stores, good reviews and positive feedback can easily substitute this. And for the most part, this merit is an impeccable user experience. Which again is achieved through QA. Testing helps to find vulnerabilities in the product, improve the interface or add features at the request of the users themselves. The better product you provide and the more joy your customers get from using it, the better the retention rate.

4.   The butterfly effect of QA

Quality assurance is significantly correlated to the phenomenon known as the Butterfly effect — a slight change in starting conditions can lead to vastly different outcomes. And based on some research, those outcomes are not always good. One missed defect, and the entire development is screwed. However, QA can prevent problems down the road. So instead of dealing with unpleasant outcomes, wouldn’t it be better to prevent them in the early phase of software development? The answer is too obvious.

5.    Traceability is the new gold

You are golden if you can execute all the precautions mentioned below. Especially if you are working towards obtaining any regulations. Every discovered bug should be documented and if the discovered defect is critical, the release of software should be sidelined until it is fixed. Testing logs or reports should be turned in to the responsible person, who should review them to ensure nothing goes untested.

It will not be superfluous to take care of the implementation of a test management system or a test automation tool that can help with the above criteria. Many companies use aqua ALM to track QA efforts based on its functionality. Companies that do not need regulatory approval are more likely to choose less advanced solutions or even resort to free software. Regulators love proper traceability. They will give you a star much easier if you put your efforts into having traceability.

Conclusion

QA is important for any company that cares about its reputation, customers and product they release. Additionally, Companies that practice quality assurance in their work can be sure that they are protected from unforeseen risks hundreds of times better than those companies that do not. Even if testing implementation seems expensive now, looking at the statistics, one can say that the return on investment exceeds implementation costs.