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25Mar

Implementing an Effective Quality Control Framework

Quality control framework is an essential aspect of any business, regardless of its size or industry. It ensures that products and services meet the necessary standards and comply with regulations. A quality control framework is a structured approach to managing and improving the quality of products and services. In this article, we will discuss the importance of implementing an effective quality control framework and how it can benefit your business. Why Is Quality Control Framework Important? Quality control framework is crucial for several reasons: Compliance with Standards and Regulations Compliance with standards and regulations is essential for any business to operate legally and ethically. Quality control ensures that products and services meet the necessary standards set by regulatory bodies and industry organizations. Failure to comply with these standards can result in legal consequences, damage to your reputation, and loss of customers. Customer Satisfaction Quality control framework is directly linked to customer satisfaction. When products and services meet or exceed customer expectations, it leads to increased customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. On the other hand, poor quality can result in customer complaints, negative reviews, and loss of business. Cost Savings Implementing a quality control framework can help identify and address issues early on in the production process, reducing the risk of costly recalls or rework. It also helps to identify areas for process improvement, leading to increased efficiency and cost savings in the long run. What Is a Quality Control Framework? A quality control framework is a structured approach to managing and improving the quality of products and services. It involves a set of processes, procedures, and tools that are used to ensure that products and services meet the necessary standards and comply with regulations. A quality control framework typically includes the following components: Quality Standards Quality standards are the criteria that products and services must meet to be considered acceptable. These standards can be set by regulatory bodies, industry organizations, or your own company. They serve as a benchmark for measuring the quality of your products and services. Quality Control Processes Quality control processes are the steps taken to ensure that products and services meet the necessary standards. These processes can include inspections, testing, and audits. They are designed to identify any issues or defects and address them before the product or service is released to the customer. Quality Control Tools Quality control tools are used to collect and analyze data to measure the quality of products and services. These tools can include statistical process control, control charts, and Pareto charts. They help to identify trends and patterns that can indicate areas for improvement. How to Implement an Effective Quality Control Framework Implementing a quality control framework requires a systematic approach. Here are the steps you can follow to ensure a successful implementation: Step 1: Identify Quality Standards The first step in implementing a quality control framework is to identify the quality standards that your products and services must meet. These standards can be set by regulatory bodies, industry organizations, or your own company. It is essential to have a clear understanding of these standards to ensure that your products and services comply with them. Step 2: Define Quality Control Processes Once you have identified the quality standards, the next step is to define the quality control processes that will be used to ensure that these standards are met. These processes can include inspections, testing, and audits. It is crucial to have a well-defined process for each stage of production to identify and address any issues or defects. Step 3: Train Employees An effective quality control framework requires the involvement of all employees. It is essential to train employees on the quality standards and processes to ensure that they understand their role in maintaining quality. This training should be ongoing to keep employees up-to-date with any changes or improvements in the quality control framework. Step 4: Use Quality Control Tools Quality control tools are essential for collecting and analyzing data to measure the quality of products and services. These tools can help identify trends and patterns that can indicate areas for improvement. It is crucial to select the right tools for your business and ensure that employees are trained on how to use them effectively. Step 5: Monitor and Measure Quality Once the quality control framework is in place, it is essential to monitor and measure the quality of products and services regularly. This can be done through inspections, testing, and audits. It is also important to track and analyze data using quality control tools to identify any areas for improvement. Step 6: Continuously Improve Continuous improvement is a crucial aspect of an effective quality control framework. By regularly monitoring and measuring quality, you can identify areas for improvement and make necessary changes to your processes. This will help to ensure that your products and services continue to meet the necessary standards and comply with regulations. Real-World Examples of Effective Quality Control Frameworks One example of an effective quality control framework is the one used by Toyota. The company has a rigorous quality control process that involves regular inspections and testing at every stage of production. This has helped Toyota to maintain a high level of quality in its products and has contributed to its reputation for reliability. Another example is the quality control framework used by Apple. The company has strict quality standards and uses a combination of inspections, testing, and audits to ensure that its products meet these standards. This has helped Apple to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Who Is Responsible for Quality Control? Quality control is a team effort and requires the involvement of all employees. However, there should be a designated quality control team responsible for overseeing the implementation and maintenance of the quality control framework. This team can include quality control managers, inspectors, and technicians. Conclusion Implementing an effective quality control framework is crucial for the success of any business. It ensures that products and services meet the necessary standards and comply with regulations, leading to increased customer satisfaction and cost savings. By following a systematic approach and continuously improving, you can ensure that your business maintains a high level of quality and stays ahead of the competition. [qodef_button size="" type="" text="Request a Service" custom_class="" icon_pack="font_awesome" fa_icon="" link="https://q-pros.com/online-test-request/" target="_self" color="" hover_color="" background_color="" hover_background_color="" border_color="" hover_border_color="" font_size="" font_weight="" margin=""]...

mobile app testing techniques, functional testing and non functional testing, bugs in software testing

23May

Understanding Bugs in Software Testing

by q-pros

in QA Tips

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The objective of QA activities is to find and detect defects and ensure fulfillment of requirements as desired by stakeholders. We at Q-Pros put this on the top of our priorities when serving our clients. In this article, we will investigate bugs in software Testing, what are the criteria followed to report a bug, the terminology used, and why we get bugs? To start, let us look at the definition of bugs in a software system. Definition of “Bugs in Software Testing” A bug is a way to define a certain defect that is blocking an application to work as required. Finding bugs can be defined as the main objective of the entire testing process. Bugs might be caused due to several kinds of mistakes made by developers in the development phase. Types of Bugs in Software Testing Bugs are segregated into categories based on casualty as such: · Coding Error: A bug caused due to a mistake in the coding phase (Internal mistakes). · Design Error: A bug caused due to a designer’s mistake, these bugs could cause issues in functionality and behavior. · New suggestion: This type of bug is concerned with enhancement. A testing expert would suggest a change rather than a severe fix. · Documentation issue: Documentation issues could cause ambiguity and misunderstanding amongst involved developing teams. Which in turn results in bugs and defects. · Hardware problem: Bugs caused by hardware issues interfering with the application of the software. Types Of Bug Severity In order to prioritize QA efforts, we separate bugs in terms of severity. Bugs in Software Testing are defined based on effect level into the following types: · Blocker: Blocks a certain function or test to be actioned. · Critical: Causes system crash and major loss of data. · Major: Causes a huge abnormality of function. · Minor: Causes a small/minor loss of function. · Trivial: UI enhancements required. · Enhancement: A suggestion for a certain change or modification. - Using Jira as a bug-tracking tool Jira is an open-source tool that is used for bug tracking, project management, and issue tracking in manual testing. It offers services and features that include reporting, recording, and workflow. Jira is a prominent project management tool that is easy to use and works best for projects that require multiple teams and levels of involvement. Characteristics of a Valid Bug (Bug Criteria) Reporting defects can be trickier than you would think. For us to consider a bug valid for reporting, it must follow a certain criterion. First, a Bugs in Software Testing should be unique and have its own unique ID, this means that we cannot relate to more than one defect regardless of how close they are in the scope of application. Then you must consider the fact that bugs should be reproducible, meaning that more than one tester can get the same bug when following the same steps leading to that bug. Thirdly you should dedicate as much time as possible to make sure that the bug report is clear and cohesive and can be transferred from one team to another to get the issue fixed. - Read Also “Mobile App Testing Checklist for a Defect Free App” Where do Bugs come from? There are several reasons why we get bugs in Bugs in Software Testing. The top two factors of bugs immerging are: · Poor communication Communication during the development stages is highly significant and is a key factor in project management. Post-production bugs come about due to miscommunication which leads to ambiguity, meaning that there was an unclear or misunderstood transfer of information during the initial stages of requirement planning and design on what the software is required to do. · Programmer’s mistake Programmers might make mistakes during the coding phase, which will most certainly open the door to several bugs and defects. Testing experts have methods to check internally to root out the cause of a defect from the source code directly. Learn more about software testing approaches at Q-Pros and request a service via our online test request....

29Dec

User Acceptance Testing: A Simple – but complete – Guide

by q-pros

in QA Tips

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If you happen to work in software QA or development, you might have certainly heard the term “User Acceptance Testing sessions” multiple times nearing the end of any project. This step in QA is one of the most essential practices to give confidence to operational teams and business owners and confirm product release. We believe that software testing can only be sealed through real-life usage tests. This activity is labeled in the software testing stages as User Acceptance Testing (UAT). Q-Pros have invested lots of effort into crafting an excellent methodology to conduct healthy UAT sessions and make sure that the software is more than ready to handle end-users. This article hopes to be a clear guide to UAT and how to perform an effective user acceptance session. To start, let us define UAT - What is User Acceptance Testing (UAT)? User Acceptance Testing is the final seal of approval required before releasing an application out to the public. By definition – hence its name- UAT's objective is to get user acceptance by testing all aspects of the application, making sure it is fit for business demands. UAT sessions are done to measure the level of satisfaction a user has while using the application in real-time under real scenarios. It involves mimicking how an application might be used by future users/customers. User Acceptance Testing is the final stage of testing to make use of all the application's potential to confirm that it is ready to be released. How we perform UAT UAT sessions are conducted by a group of first-hand users, this group of users could consist of customers who are more likely to use the product or the client that this software is directed to (if the software is manufactured specifically for an organization). When conducting a UAT session, all parties involved document their feedback, preferably in the presence of the developing team and beta testers in charge of ensuring quality standards. The role of the QA teams in UAT sessions The QA team has major involvement in the User Acceptance Testing. The QA team must be ready to assist users on how to use the application and oversee taking notes, including on several issues that might not be visible to the users, meaning things that are of QA concern rather than simple functionality. The QA team will then take part in presenting the results to clients, and it is the clients' job to decide whether the results are in alliance with expectations. The key objectives of UAT To make certain the software is performing based on basic business requirements. To confirm Ease-of-use. We need to make sure that the system is usable by end-users. Make sure the application is aligned with legal measures. At the end of UAT, a report is drafted, this report includes valuable results. Then, meetings are arranged to determine whether the application is ready for release or not based on UAT deliverables. Agile and DevOps methods in UAT UAT sessions require an elevated level of cooperation between multiple levels of involvement, including end-users. To plan a solid UAT session, team management methodology plays a huge role. The DevOps approach emphasizes a steady relationship between both developers and operational managers. This coexistence is made feasible using the agile methodology of project management. Agile is heavily adopted in QA techniques in general as it has been proved to save time and maintain structure. As mentioned before, UAT sessions involve multiple parties, from developers, the QA team, and end-users. At the end of every UAT, feedback is collected and worked upon, and then when needed, other UAT sessions will be conducted. UAT (Alpha/Beta Testing) UAT is split into two classifications (Alpha & Beta) depending on the nature of the output being tested. Alpha testing involves testing the application in the development environment. Beta testing is carried out in the production phase when the application is ready for release. Summary User Acceptance is all-important for Quality Assurance. Understanding how your software works in a real-life environment before releasing it to one is an obvious step. Involving end-users will guarantee honesty and generate honest feedback. UAT is most beneficial when each step is documented and studied thoroughly. Based on the data generated, the developers, QA team, and clients can choose to make changes to enhance all aspects of the application based on the desired quality and business requirements. To learn more about quality assurance practices and frameworks, learn more about us and request one of our many testing services that are crafted based on requirements, business demands and standards. https://q-pros.com/online-test-request/ ...

01Nov

Important Metrics & KPIs for Software Quality Assurance

by q-pros

in QA Tips

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The success of any software product relies heavily on how well its quality is measured. The efficiency of the testing process is a key factor in ensuring revenue. Knowing what differentiates a good testing procedure and a bad one means we must have extensive knowledge of various software testing metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs will help us determine the fittingness and suitability of the testing team and the testing types provided. As a leading software testing provider, Q-Pros follows extensive criteria to define a successful testing process. Our metrics range from team members' efficiency to solid academic and rhetorical factors based on universal standards. In this article, we will investigate the metrics and KPIs of software testing that any application should cover to be suitable for release. Here are the KPIs & Metrics that should be on top of any testing team’s checklist: Derivative Metrics - Derivative metrics are identifiers that allow the testing team to increase the accuracy of their testing process. Defect Density - Defect density measures the number of issues faced concerning a fixed period, this helps the testing team decide if an application is ready for post-production stages or if it might require more testing. A formula used to know the Defect Density is Defect count divided by the size of release divided by module. Defect Removal Efficiency - Defect removal efficiency (DRE) is the number of defects that a developer can remove before the official release date. In other words, it is the number of defects resolved divided by the number of defects at the current time of measurement. DRE is calculated across the test phases. Defect Category - It is essential to categorize the aspects of the software we are testing for, such as performance, functionality, or reliability, and many more. Review Efficiency - Review efficiency involves documentation of defects; it aims to decrease the probability of defect leakage in subsequent stages of testing. (RE) = Total number of review defects / (Total number of review defects + Total number of testing defects) x 100. Time to Test – Time of test is a key performance indicator that helps the testing team know the amount of time it takes to transition from the stage of testing to the stage of completion. It also allows us to know the level of effectiveness that the testing team operates on. Test Instances - A KPIs that measures the number of instances available in a test set, this helps increase the velocity of test execution plans. Passed Tests– This KPIs is measured by monitoring the implementation of every configuration within a test. It measures how well those configurations are in detecting the defects during the testing phases. Defects Fixed per Day - This KPIs, as the name indicates, is measuring or keeping track of the total number of defects fixed daily, this helps us monitor the progress of the overall project. Test Coverage - The test Coverage metric allows to define the level to which the software's complete functionality is tested. It resembles the completion of testing activities and would later be used as criteria of which we decide on a test as concluded. Requirement Coverage is (Number of requirements covered divided by the total number of requirements) x 100 Defect Resolution Time - This KPIs involves measuring the time it takes the testing team to verify a fix of a defect. This KPI helps us highlight where certain team members' efforts are directed and how long it takes them to resolve certain tasks. Test Economic Metrics - Testing is associated with cost, and testing procedures, by nature, slow the production by adding various steps in between the production era. Several metrics should be put in mind prior to deciding the testing approach adopted: The overall cost of testing How much it would vary in execution to the estimated budget Variance from the schedule Cost per bug The cost of not conducting any test Test Team Metrics - This set of metrics simply concludes how well the testing team is working, this could help us acquire information about certain team members or entire team sections involved in a specific area of the test. In return, this provides a way for us to empower the team in certain required areas and sustain a stronger bond between team members. These metrics include but are not limited to: The number of test cases conducted by each team member Test cases directed to each test team member Returned defects are distributed to team members Active Defects– This KPI includes identifying the open or fixed defects. Automated Testing - It is mandatory for every testing team to segregate high-priority defects that require automated means for testing. Test Case Quality - Both a metric and a KPI, measuring a test case Quality helps us evaluate test cases in accordance with the desired result. To accomplish test case quality, we rely on the following: Tests should be written and organized in a report, this report will include findings regarding defects and bugs. Test requirements should be pre-established. Testing data must cover all probable scenarios. Testing data must cover Pass/Fail scenarios. Summary These Metrics and Key performance indicators are the "Make it or break it" factor to the success of any testing company. Knowing the measure of success on every level of the project gives excellent results in the end. Implementing software testing metrics and key performance indicators will increase the effectiveness of the testing efforts. At Q-Pros, we take pride in involving experts who are extensively knowledgeable about all metrics and KPIs. Know more about us and request one of our services. ...

16Mar

7 Principles of Software Testing

by q-pros

in QA Tips

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Software testing is an essential component of the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). Testing software reveals flaws, faults, defects, and the overall quality of the built software. This post will look at seven software testing principles that can improve the testing process. What is the Importance of Software Testing Principles? Software testing principles outline how software testers or testing engineers should write code. Engineering isn't a science where you can wave a magic wand and turn variables into clean code. But basic guidelines can help you ensure your code is bug-free, understandable, and maintainable. This section will go over the seven fundamental principles of software testing. Let's take a look at each of the seven testing principles individually: ● Defects are found during testing. ● Exhaustive testing is impossible ● Early-stage testing ● Defect clustering ● Pesticide Paradox ● Testing is dependent on the situation ● The absence of error is a fallacy 1. Defects are found during testing. We can only determine whether or not the application or software has any flaws during testing. The test engineer will run the program to ensure that it is free of bugs and faults. The primary purpose of testing is to discover any problems because the complete test should be traceable to the customer's desire. We can reduce the number of bugs by testing any program. While running various forms of testing on the software, it may appear bug-free at times. The software will be deployed to the production server if the end-user detects no defects during the testing phase. 2. Exhaustive testing is impossible. Your test coverage may be kept excellent with diligent planning and evaluation. You can ensure you are testing the most critical functions without testing every single line of code. It can appear to be quite challenging to try all of the modules and their features during the actual testing process using effective and ineffective combinations of input data. Because product timelines will not allow us to do such testing scenarios, we can complete this type of variation according to the importance of the modules. 3. Early Testing Early testing in software development refers to introducing testing as early as possible. It's an essential part of the software development process (SDLC). Modifying issues early in a project's life cycle is far less expensive and time-consuming than amending difficulties later in the project's life cycle. Program testing should start at the beginning, during requirement analysis, to increase software performance. Software testing should start at the very beginning, during requirement analysis, to optimize software performance. In the first scenario, you discovered an inaccurate requirement during the requirements-gathering process. Fixing an incorrect need is less expensive than improving an entirely created capability that doesn't operate. 4. Defect clustering Defect clustering is a term used in software testing to describe a small module or feature with the most defects. This could be due to variables such as the modules' complexity, the coding connected with them, etc. The Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule) states that 80% of problems are caused by 20% of modules and that the other 20% is caused by the same number of modules plus some extra 'human error'.As a result, we concentrate our testing efforts on the 20% of modules that account for 80% of the problems. 5. Pesticide Paradox The Pesticide Paradox is a term used in software testing. It describes the habit of repeating the same test cases repeatedly. This leads to software developers writing tests that pass, so they don't have to worry about damaging or edge scenarios. Often making the same difficulties will eventually lead to no new issues being discovered - so it's important to re-evaluate and update them regularly. 6. Testing is dependent on the situation. Testing varies depending on the context; therefore, how you test an e-commerce site differs from testing a commercial off-the-shelf program. The software that has been created is not all the same. You can utilize a variety of approaches, methodologies, techniques, and types of testing depending on the application. Testing a banking application, for example, differs from testing an e-commerce or advertising application, and each application carries a distinct level of risk. As a result, you should not test various apps with the same approach, technique, or testing type. 7. The absence of error is a fallacy. The software we create must not only be bug-free, but must also meet business and user needs, or it will become unusable. If erroneous requirements are included in the program or the product fails to satisfy the business demands, even bug-free software may become unusable. It's a common misconception that users will flock to it if you design a bug-free system, but this is not the case. Software solutions must meet corporate needs and user requirements to be usable. So, no matter how faultless or error-free a system is, it is only a failure if it lacks usability and is challenging to use. Conclusion As you can see, software testing is based on seven principles that result in high-quality products. Incorporating these ideas into your testing can improve your overall testing strategy while increasing efficiency and focus. Incorporating testers at the requirements stage, for example, can assist in avoiding the "lack of mistakes fallacy" by ensuring the product fulfills customer expectations and needs. Our "Principles of Software Testing" blog comes to a close with this. I hope you found this article interesting and gained a solid understanding of the many principles. ...