Quality assurance testing (or QA for short) is a crucial
part of the process when developing a website, app, or custom piece of
software. Unfortunately, this is also a step many clients don’t particularly
understand or appreciate. Many are so eager to see their new project put to
work that they want to rush through this step.
If anything, we have learned over the years that creative
teams and their clients could use more QA, not less. So today we want to give
you five easy ways you can take to help your vendor deliver error-free
programming that works exactly the way you expect it to.
#1 Leave Plenty of
Time for QA Reviews
The most important thing you can do, as a business owner or
executive, is to stress the importance of QA testing to your development team
and leave them enough time to do their work. In other words, make sure you
don’t hire a vendor who would agree to rush the process even if you wanted them
to, and then be patient as they perform detailed checks and stress tests.
#2 Expand Your QA
Testing Team
Often, a programming team will do their first round of QA
testing in-house in a controlled environment. However, it’s never a bad idea to
get some of the people who will actually be using the resulting app or website in
on the act. Let them test it just as they would in a real-world setting and you
might find needs or repairs that weren’t immediately apparent.
#3 Log Every Error or
Instance
Whether it’s during the testing phase or in a real-world
application, you should document any errors you come across when using your new
piece of programming. Pay attention to what occurs, when the problem creeps up,
any error message that's displayed, and any other details that you can recall.
The more information your programming team has to work with, the easier will be
for them to find the problematic bits of code that need to be removed or
rewritten.
#4 Double Check on Different
Devices
One challenge for programmers is that a given app can work
perfectly in one environment – say a certain device or browser – but not
function on another. The best way to discover issues of compatibility is to
simply try your software out within a number of different platforms. The more
narrow your QA testing profile, the greater your odds of coming across hidden
issues later.
#5 Revisit QA After
Changes or Updates
Naturally, the most comprehensive QA testing is going to be
undertaken prior to launching your application or website. However, that
doesn’t mean you should forget about it after you go live. It’s a good idea to
continue QA testing at regular intervals, and particularly after major changes,
upgrades, or updates to your custom programming project.
Thinking About Web
Programming or Software Development?
It’s entirely possible that the tool you need to take your
business to the next level would be easy and inexpensive to create. But, you’ll
never find out if you aren’t willing to meet with an expert programming team.
Why not contact Kinetik IT in Phoenix today to learn a little bit more about
the ways we can help save your company time and money with custom development?