5 Key Challenges Faced by QA Testers

In the current technological world, the influence of software is everywhere. From something as trivial as task reminder applications that help us optimize our day-to-day activities to code-guided satellites that oversee the entire world from an aerial vantage point. However, to get the best of these developed programs, it is crucial to ensure that the application operates smoothly and error-free. To develop a high-quality software product, you need to integrate a system within the software development life cycle that helps reduce flaws and bugs during the build.

The SDLC has several different phases in which QA testing has a unique space. Irrespective of the software development model followed by the development team, deploying the program without the approval of QA testers is ill-advisable. A survey by Statista in 2019 concluded that C-level executives allotted around 23 percent of their company’s annual IT budget to quality assurance and testing.

What is QA Testing?

Quality assurance (QA) testing plays a critical role in determining whether the final product meets the highest expected quality requirements. QA testers ensure that the software application follows the highest quality benchmarks through consistent testing and it is free of defects. 

The QA team is responsible for tackling recurring bugs and eliminating any further complications during development through carefully identifying any errors that do come up during the development and fixing them. Moreover, Software quality assurance testers evaluate the test cycles to assess the operation of software techniques, tools, and processes. 

Integrating the QA process throughout the development cycle offers surveillance across every step. This helps to prevent bugs in the final stage of development as well as offer additional assistance throughout the software maintenance process.

Importance of Quality Assurance

There are several advantages QA has to offer, some of them being:

1. Saves Time and Money

With QA, certified software testers can find and eliminate defects in the early stage whether during the requirement gathering, coding, or designing phase. This not only saves the time and efforts of the developers while building the most efficient program but also saves the company huge amounts of investments that would have been otherwise spent on resolving bigger and more complicated bugs in the final testing phase. 

2. Boosts Client Satisfaction

Deploying a product that doesn’t deliver what is promised is a pet peeve for every client. It will not only harm the software development company’s reputation but also destroy the confidence of future clients. Iterative QA testing will allow QA automation testers to timely ensure that the software is developed to meet the requirements of the customers, increasing user satisfaction.

3. Streamlines Development

By undertaking development and QA simultaneously, QA software testers can find bugs and defects in a timely manner. This allows smooth operation and enhances productivity as developers do not need to handle the vast amount of bugs at once. Specific testing tool experts such as Microsoft test managers and Apache JMeter testers also prevent unforeseen blackouts or breakdowns in the application.

4. Ensures Security

Quality Assurance testers conduct comprehensive safety and performance tests that help the development team identify any cracks in the architecture or programming sections that may have been overlooked. This helps in creating a product that offers complete protection against any threats to the software’s defenses while maintaining data integrity.

5. Offers Worldwide Standardization

With QA, the software development company can create a program that is up to the mark of international standards. The manual QA testers are up-to-date with the requirements of international institutions involved in the development of QA norms, such as IEEE, DOT, ISO, ANSI, EIA, and IEC. Designing internationally certified products allow companies to expand their reach.

Difference Between QA and QC

In simple terms, Quality assurance (QA) focuses on avoiding mistakes and bugs that could cause the product to malfunction when it is delivered to the customers. 
Whereas, Quality Control (QC) focuses on ensuring that the product delivered meets the quality requirements.

Thus, the main difference between QA and QC is that while QC focuses on the end product, QA provides the assurance that the process to meet the requested quality is achieved.

Another difference is that QA prevents the defects while QC tackles the vulnerabilities as and when detected. Hence QA is known as a Preventive technique as opposed to QC’s Corrective technique.

QA requires support from the entire software development team as the errors detected could be from any SDLC. QC is undertaken by the software testing team.

Common Quality Assurance testing methods are Document review, Test Case review, Inspection, Stress testing, etc.
Some of the Quality Control test processes are Automation testing, Functional testing, Black box testing, etc. 

Roles of a QA Tester

There are 3 critical members in a QA team, QA Analyst, QA Lead, and QA Manager.

1. QA Analyst: They are responsible for evaluating the system at the base level and creating comprehensive project documentation. They then report the status to the QA Lead.

2. QA Engineer: The Engineer focuses on establishing test plans based on the initial testing reports. Their goal is to lead the testing team to ensure quality delivery on schedule.

3. QA Manager: They act as a bridge between the various teams working on the software, including their own QA testers, developers, designers, as well as business analysts, and end clients.

QA Testing Process

These experts form a comprehensive QA Process following the four steps below.

1. Analyze Requirements

This involves defining the objectives of testing as well as identifying the tools and technologies required to perform the QA tests. The QA Analyst receives the requirements from the clients via the QA Manager for them to create specifically tailored test plans for the software being tested.

2. Test Plan & Strategy

This involves defining the best approach for satisfying test objectives. The QA Engineer creates a test strategy depending on the requirements of the project and relevant deadlines and schedules. They also identify potential defect locations and outline the types and levels of testing needed. Engineers also aim to resolve bugs at the early phases of development in order to reduce the bug fixing cost and time.

3. Execute, Report, and Re-Run

This stage is where most of the on-hand activities take place. After deciding on the requirements and test cases, the engineers carry out the tests to eliminate defects. The team also communicates with developers and designers to identify the root cause and troubleshoot the program to enhance product quality. More tests are performed and all the relevant teams and clients are kept in the loop.

4. Release Tests

Once all the bugs and defects are cleared, the developers will issue a release notification. This reports all the fixed bugs, software limitations, recurring problems, and necessary features and functionalities. The QA experts create a list of new tests to suit the new updated software. 

Challenges of Implementing QA Testing

Given the purview and significance of a certified software tester’s job, it is inevitable that they will face certain hurdles in their day-to-day tasks.

1. Inadequate Information

An automated test engineer’s work primarily depends on identifying probable bugs and errors based on the user’s journey. However, if the testing team doesn’t receive enough information about the user’s journey, it is extremely difficult for them to create test plans to meet specific requirements. This can be often due to a lack of communication between the business analysts and developers.

Solution

To tackle this, it is essential to build an open and constant communication channel between all the parties involved. The developers need to understand that testing is not a final process and stay responsive to the feedback and updates from the QA testing team. Additionally, to better understand the user perspective, the QA analysts should create testing documents from scratch rather than depending on one created by a third party.

2. Last-Minute Changes 

Last-minute or frequent changes demanded by the clients can not only slow down the entire development process but also put additional pressure on the QA testing team. The smallest of changes often push the QA testers to redo the entire scope of testing. They would have to re-evaluate their strategies and implement new testing plans as the codebase needs to be tested for its stability and compatibility.

Solution

Although this is the toughest challenge to overcome, QA testers can work around this by adopting an agile testing method. As the developers implement modifications, the testing team can expand their testing plans. Moreover, testers should communicate that testing of last-minute changes may not be completed within predetermined deadlines.

3. Tight Deadlines

Testing requires proper attention to detail and cannot be completed in a rush. Testing and debugging must work simultaneously as development efforts. However, if test cases are not timely executed, the entire development could fall out of schedule. You need a team of testers proficient in programming languages and testing automation tools to supplement manual testing efforts. 

Solution

While planning the software development life cycle, decision-makers must take input from the QA team and provide them with adequate time for the complete process. Moreover, QA testers must incorporate a healthy combination of manual testing and automation testing. For instance, to reduce the time required for UI automation tests, QA manual testers can get assistance from top Selenium testers.

4. Unstable Test Environment

Often times to reduce the testing time, QA testers may subject the software to just a handful of test cases. Moreover, if they do not test the application in a real-life environment, they could risk missing very specific issues that could render the application unusable post-release. 

Solution

One of the most elementary solutions for this problem is to expand test cases. Testers should also recreate real-world environments to efficiently test the program. It is also possible to release beta versions or smaller sprints as updates to the application and run them on desired devices to identify bugs and fixes. Recreating a production-like environment allows testers to find defects that may have been missed during previous testing sprints.

5. Wrong Testing Estimation

Whether it is the required tools and technology or the time required to complete the testing process, underestimating them can send the entire development process into disarray. Furthermore, the software may face unexpected issues post the final sprint or even after deployment.

Solution

This can be resolved by thorough documentation and keeping fall-back periods in the testing timeline. Moreover, during the requirement gathering phase, identify the proper tools and skills required to fast-track the testing process. It is also advisable to avoid launching the product or releasing an update on weekends or holidays and instead opt for a start-of-the-week launch as it offers the development and QA teams enough time to manage any unpredictability.

To Wrap It Up!

No job is without its challenges, especially one of a QA tester whose goal is to eliminate challenges blocking the path to successful software. Moreover, QA testing is an incredibly nuanced job that requires many different skill sets. One way to streamline the software development process is by hiring professional QA testers who can expertly manage these complications while increasing overall productivity and efficiency in the workplace. 

But how do you know that testers are really good? Goodtal lists the top software QA testing experts who are passionate about helping companies like yours and providing the necessary guidance. If you're looking for top QA testers to hire, get in touch with us today!