The Role of QA in DevOps
The need for faster time to market and superior quality is getting intense in the software development process. Organizations are reaping the benefits of the DevOps approach and are incorporating the rules within every aspect of software testing.
This article provides insights into the concept of DevOps and how we at Q-Pros adapted the Role of QA into more dynamic and collaborative activities to best fit the DevOps team structure.
The main objectives of adopting DevOps are to make the testing and development process more collaborative, ensure Software Quality Testing, and help launch applications faster to the market. New-age applications need real-time changes and updates to meet the growing demands of the end-users. That requires continuous development, continuous testing, and continuous delivery/deployment. The DevOps approach enables teams to constantly upgrade and deliver.
Every enterprise and its style of working differs. The way they would adopt DevOps will be different too. Digital transformation and the need to be always available for end-users with the latest updates are transforming the way enterprises adopt new practices and methodologies. Every enterprise must evolve sustainably, so quality is at the core of every practice, including DevOps.
In a DevOps scenario, QA integrates into the testing and development process and takes the collaborative approach, and both testing and development teams are responsible for it. In the traditional method, QA creeps in toward the end, whereas in DevOps, it comes in at every level.
As for code development, the QA team pushes the new development code into production, and DevOps facilitates to ensure a seamless deployment of infrastructure and tools. Thus, it helps in releasing a code consistently. The responsibility to ensure quality is not only limited to closing bugs but covers the entire production process.
Web mobile applications such as electronic services, e-commerce, or financial services applications need to be updated frequently. It is a fundamental business requirement. DevOps helps make this possible, but with QA involved, the quality of the release is guaranteed. The reality check can happen in real time rather than taking the code offline and testing it.
Overall, the popularity of DevOps over the years has intertwined quality into every engineer’s responsibility. DevOps helps in addressing the needs of the market and ensures that end-users do not suffer. QA further enables and directs teams to check the application for performance and quality before it is up for delivery.
The role of QA in the current software development process is changing, where the end-user comes into focus, and their needs are brought into perspective while delivering the application. Releasing new and functional updates at any point through the application’s life cycle can become a disaster if the quality is not ensured constantly. Automation of tests plays a critical role in guaranteeing quality and bringing speed to the release process.
Building a QA strategy with the necessary best practices is essential for organizations embracing the DevOps movement. Establishing a solid QA strategy will help deliver effective software development and operations to achieve user experience. DevOps practices are adopted to improve the regularity of the releases and reduce defects. It is a methodology that boosts rapid, short, iterative development and deployment of applications.
So, the goal of incorporating QA is to ensure continuous improvement in the delivery process. DevOps allows digital enterprises to meet the needs of the competition and enable overall business growth. As a result, enterprises can streamline and pace up the delivery of applications with changes and innovation.
The disconnect between QA and DevOps often occurs due to misconceptions about the role of quality assurance in the modern software development life cycle. Even as continuous integration servers and continuous delivery practices check your code for errors, they do not ensure its quality when you define quality from your end user’s perspective rather than your code’s: “Quality is fitness for your end-user purpose.”
We at Quality Professionals have implemented a criterion to verify the quality of the build and ensure no bugs get pushed to production:
- Code Review
- Test Automation
- Deploy to Staging
- Comprehensive QA Checklist
Our test engineers have experience working on team collaboration platforms such as Azure DevOps, JIRA, and HP ALM, Leveraging the integration with market-leading DevOps Automation Tools.
Q-Pros provides efficient testing services to clients on a global scale. We strive to deliver remarkable outcomes that guarantee error-free applications. Learn more about us and request a custom-made testing service through our online service form.
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