Cheat Sheet for an Effective Software QA Strategy

Building a rock-solid and effective QA strategy is crucial for software success, but it can seem daunting. Where do you start? What fundamentals matter most? Don't stress - we've got you covered. Here's a handy cheat sheet to level up your products' development.

Set Clear Quality Targets

First, set crystal clear quality targets that align with broader business goals. Be specific - "reduce production defects by 50 percent" or "improve average user ratings by 0.5 stars". Quantifiable objectives like these drive focus and accountability across the team. Get buy-in from all stakeholders by tying targets directly to customer-centric outcomes.

Pick Your Tools Wisely

Next, think wisely by selecting QA methodologies that align with your development approach. Is your team using Waterfall? Plan testing thoroughly upfront. Going agile? Take a test-driven approach by integrating QA into sprints. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of scripted, exploratory, risk-based, requirements-based, and other techniques. Apply the methodologies and techniques to fit your specific situation.

Need help with methodology and technique selection? We can help!

Map the Landscape

It's also critical to map out the landscape by cataloging all the functionality, domains, and integrations you need to test. Look carefully for danger zones like complex interfaces or workflows. Put the biggest software testing efforts toward high-risk areas first.

Examples:

• Payment/transaction processing. A defect could lead to financial errors or data breaches
• Authentication/access controls. Flaws can compromise security and privacy
• Billing. Errors lead to incorrect customer charges
• 3rd party integrations. Major liability if external APIs fail
• Backup/recovery systems. Bugs can cause data loss disasters
• Real-time media streaming. Quality issues degrade user experience
• Call routing/switching. Defects can cause dropped calls or wrong connections

Allocate Time and Man-Power

Quality Assurance takes people and months, so plan time and resources realistically. Think about implementing test automation, but keep in mind that it requires upfront investment but pays back over time. Secure the budget and engineering time you need to execute your strategy successfully. Allocating the right amount of budget and engineering time can be hard, so having an experienced project manager and QA lead is a must. Additionally, we suggest to implement buffers into timelines as early testing always uncovers more defects and edge cases. Read more about engineering time estimation.

Start Testing Yesterday

Based on our experience, software testing is often left until the final stages, and that brings significant risks of delayed releases or, even worse - critical issues in production. Bugs that surface late in development or production are exponentially more expensive and time consuming to fix. Not to mention the impact on your reputation.

To avoid unnecessary surprises, begin software testing as early as possible and make testing a parallel stream integrated across development lifecycle. The mantra of "test early, test often" is key to enabling this shift left. It prevents these last-minute "big bang" approach filled with unknown.

Variety as a Technique to Find More Bugs

Although it's highly suggested to introduce automated regression testing, it's suggested to balance it with various testing approaches, like manual exploratory testing, to cover edge cases. Additionally, vary test data inputs - don't just stick to positive scenarios. Try invalid inputs, formats, extremely large values, etc. See how the system reacts to unpredictable data.

Additionally, perform software testing across different environments like devices, OS versions and browsers. Variations in environment configuration can uncover even more issues. Plus, when it come to devices, highly we highly suggest using real devices instead of simulators/emulators.

Try intentionally broken flows and illogical user behavior. Systems should be able to handle unexpected workloads. Employ techniques like boundary analysis and equivalence partitioning to methodically generate edge cases. Don't randomly guess.

Optimizing = Measuring + Improving

To optimize QA processes and get the most out of it, you should establish metrics that are aligned to your quality KPIs, like test coverage, QA testing cycle time, defect escape rate, test automation coverage, etc.

Inspect metrics frequently - at least each sprint. Identify patterns revealing waste and inefficiency, as well as keep feedback loop active. Dissect metrics and tester findings each sprint at QA retrospectives. Brainstorm and implement improvements quickly. And don't forget to gather feedback from developers and business teams too. Take an outside-in perspective to your processes.

Have the discipline to refine processes based on hard data rather than hunches or anecdotes. Numbers don't lie.

Bring Departments Together not Against Each Other

Finally, bring the entire team together. QA works best when development, QA, product and design teams collaborate closely fostering open and objective communication. Nurture a culture of shared ownership for quality.

There you have it - a quickstart guide to introduce and maintain an effective QA strategy. If you have any questions or need extra hand at QA department - we are here to help!