Why is Software Testing and QA important for any business?

Imagine you wanted to transfer INR 20K to your friend via Net banking. You make the transaction online, but when you check you’re SMS, it says that 21K INR has been debited from your account.

How would you feel? Angry? Frustrated?

Resolution: You would prefer to change your bank.

  • On April 26, 1994, 264 people were killed due to a software bug in China Airlines Airbus A300.
  • A software bug caused the failure of $1.2 billion military satellite launch in April 1999.
  • A software bug caused the bank accounts of 823 customers of a major US bank to be credited with 920 million US dollars in May 1996.

When you think of the term “software testing and QA”, do you think of just one aspect of a testing such as functional testing or performance testing? Software testing involves all the different gears of a product and ensuring that the software works smoothly.

When you hire a software tester, he or she would check that:

  • Does your app features work as expected?
  • Is your app bug-free?
  • Does your software offer a great user experience?
  • Can your app withstand the demands of a heavy load?
  • Is the app easy to use for end users?
  • Does your app comply with regulatory requirements?
  • And a lot more…

Software testing and Quality assurance is an integral aspect of any project as it affects the popularity and profitability of a product. So, it becomes essential for businesses to look for expert professionals for QA testing to get higher returns. Business owners think that they would have to incur a lot of expenses for through software applications testing and Quality checks, but the fact is that you could be hurting your brand reputation if there are any loopholes left when you release a product. Nobody would like to have an app in the mobile that has bugs in it. No user would prefer to use a mobile app or software application that crashes many times.

Some common myths about software testing

Myth 1: Testing is Too Expensive
Reality – There is a saying that if you pay less for software development, then you may have to pay more for correction or maintenance later on. Early testing helps you save a lot of time and money. Think of the testing right from the design phase of software so that the final deliverable is flawless.

Myth 2: Only fully developed products can be tested
Reality – There’s no doubt that testing depends on the source code, but the software can also be tested at all the stages of design and development. If the product is tested at all the stages of development, there would be less dependency of testing on the fully developed software.

Myth 3: Testers are responsible for the quality of the product
Reality – Most of the customers think that only the testing team should be responsible for the quality of the delivered product. A tester’s responsibility is to identify the bugs and get them fixed before the software is released. You need to give them some time for fixing the bugs in the software.

Myth 4: Test automation can be used to reduce the time
Reality – Yes, test automation reduces the testing time, but one cannot start it at any time during software development. Test automation should be started after the manual testing of software is completed. If the requirements of a project keep on changing, it may not be advisable to use test automation.

Myth 5: Tested software is Bug-free
Reality – This is a common myth amongst the customers. Software testing can never ensure a 100% bug-free app even if the tester has the best testing skills.

Done well, software testing companies can help you get the maximum return on investment. Business owners can generate more revenue by focusing on the quality of software and performing software QA testing.

What are the business benefits of Software QA testing?

Launch a Flawless Software Application
Launching flawless software and applications would add value to your customers and attract them towards your brand. High quality and bug-free software would boost the reputation and credibility of your business. Business owners can expect both profits and growth with flawless software.

Prevent targeted malware attacks
There are many instances when malware attacks compel the enterprises to stop their website and mobile apps on a temporary basis. This kind of disruption can affect your business reputation. Continuous testing ensures the removal of any weaker pieces of code and maintains the security of the software.

Improves the User Experience
No matter what kind of app you may have, it is important to ensure that the software allows the users make their tasks easier. The software testers assess all the aspects of software from the prospective end user’s point of view. Along with the elimination of bugs and performance issues, software testing also helps to improve the user experience significantly. The improved user experience would lead to greater sales, popularity, and profitability of the software.

Generate sales with less promotion
Nowadays, each user has an option to choose from multiple software applications having similar features and functionality. Hence, business owners try every possible way of marketing to promote their software and beat the competition. When your software application is flawless, it becomes easier for the marketers to promote the app more confidently. They can highlight the quality and user experience of the software and sell your software easily.

Make software development process more efficient
A lot of companies are adopting agile methodologies to curb software development time and cost. As an agile methodology emphasizes software QA testing into the entire software development life cycle (SDLC), developers and testers can work together to execute tests continuously.

Curtail maintenance costs
Studies have shown that shown that businesses can save a lot of money by repairing the defects in the software at an early stage. Early fault detection can ensure that a flawless solution is launched. As the testers would check the app for any bugs, it reduces the maintenance costs. You would not have to spend money on maintenance of the products.

Build the base of happy customers
Each organization finds it difficult to find a base of happy customers despite launching a high-quality app and promoting it with expensive promotional campaigns. Good quality software applications would keep your customers happy and retain them in the longer run. The user experience would encourage the users to promote your application through their word-of-mouth.

Wrap Up
The role of a software tester and QA engineer begins very early. Right from the conceptualization of the software to successful delivery and launch of the app, the testers would check the ins and outs of the functioning of the app and ensure that it performs well.