How to Quality Control a Product?

Imagine walking into a local shop and seeing every item of clothing in the same color and size. That is practically a characterization of software that was never tested. It either fits your demands (by chance) or it’s absolutely worthless.

The goal of creating a software product is to meet a wide variety of demands, that is why quality assurance is becoming a key focus in the development budget, with around 40% of the total cost allocated to it.

QA software testing and QC appear to be identical things to someone who is unfamiliar with software testing and development. In reality, these two words are frequently mistaken and used indiscriminately. Nevertheless, there are some distinctions between the concepts, and we want to assist you in determining them. In this post, you will get familiar with software product quality control checklists, as well as understand the contrasts between quality control & quality assurance and see examples of each.

What Is Product Quality Control?

Quality control is a collection of operations used to ensure the accuracy of software products. It is a QA-governed procedure whose major purpose is to find problems in the actual product generated, like defects, malfunctions, or deviations from requirements.

Among the advantages of product quality control testing are:

• Increasing quality mindfulness.
• Lowering manufacturing costs.
• Reducing complaints after the service has been distributed.

Finally, quality control has two critical goals:

1. To guarantee that goods are as inclusive as possible.
2. To eliminate mistakes and errors within them.

What Is Product Quality Assurance?

Product quality assurance process is a critical component of software development. It aids in the monitoring of the software development process, ensuring that it is progressing along the appropriate path. However, the biggest advantage of QA is in its primary role—the detection and avoidance of product faults.

The benefits of software quality assurance are meaningful:

• Early detection and avoidance of problems during the SDLC.
• Interaction between the testing, development, and management functions should be improved.
• Improved product quality leads to a competitive advantage.

Yet, even strong quality assurance does not eliminate the necessity for quality control in your business entirely. Software development is inherently risky and prone to errors. There is no certainty that additional system upgrades will not introduce inconsistencies in what has already been established. And here is where quality control in product development comes in.

What is the Difference Between Quality Assurance & Quality Control?

Although the phrases “quality control” and “quality assurance” are sometimes used reciprocally, they each refer to distinct duties and activities. Whereas quality assurance in software testing is concerned with maintaining quality throughout the software development process, QC meaning is concerned with discovering errors and flaws in finished software products.

As a result:

• Quality assurance processes are more focused on prevention of issues
• Product quality control processes are more focused on diagnosis.

The nature of quality control vs assurance is also distinct. Quality assurance is more organizational in scope, concentrating on all software development operations inside a business. Software quality control is a collection of operations that focus on controlling the quality of a particular software product.

However, quality control and quality assurance are almost always mirrored throughout an organization’s full range of software products.

Furthermore, whereas quality assurance is employed throughout the life cycle of software development, quality control is often limited to the evaluation and testing phases. Yet, testing is a regular activity that is essential to both QC vs QA.

What is Important to Consider for the Testing Process?

A good strategy for the product testing process must consider many things, as it is pivotal in ensuring its success and reliability. Here are key considerations to keep in mind when formulating your product testing approach:

#1. Defining product objectives

Clearly outline the product objectives and establish the scope for testing to align with these goals. You must begin with understanding the purpose of the product, its intended audience, and the problem it aims to solve. Different products require different approaches. So, if you, for example, develop a mobile banking app — the objectives could include:

• easy transaction processing;
• strong security measures;
• user-friendly navigation.

#2. Selecting testing techniques

Choose testing techniques that are well-suited to the product’s specific requirements and features. Pay attention to factors like mobile-first or web applications, since it determines the testing technique as well. If you require a product quality testing for a web app, choose techniques like:

• functional testing;
• performance testing;
• compatibility testing.

In this case, the choice will ensure the application functions as intended across various browsers and devices.

#3. Creating test plans

Develop detailed test plans and test cases to guarantee exhaustive testing coverage across all product functionalities. Try out tools like TestRail or Xray for test case management and execution. Your team would have full access to the plan and opportunity to track progress and ensure all scenarios are adequately tested.

#4. Resource allocation

Allocate sufficient time and resources to quality assurance vs quality control activities to conduct thorough and rigorous testing for the product. This includes assigning skilled QA engineers, providing them with all necessary testing environments, and leaving some “backup” time for bug fixes and retesting.

Don’t overestimate this step, as we tend to focus on major components while disregarding smaller details in our strategy. Every aspect of the strategy holds significance, and including this point in the guide is a reminder to pay attention to these seemingly minor yet essential elements.

#5. Continue testing practices

Implementation of continuous testing methodologies helps identify and address issues early in the product development lifecycle. You may need CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines to identify and address problems on the first stages of development. 

• Continuous integration: automates code integration from multiple developers into a shared repository, running tests and checks to detect and address issues early in development, thus maintaining a stable codebase for testing and deployment.
• Continuous Deployment: deploying code changes to different environments automatically (like development, staging, and production) based on predefined criteria, reducing errors and speeding up software updates to end-users.

To automate this step, use tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, or GitLab CI/CD. They enable rapid feedback and faster delivery of high-quality software.

#6. Team collaboration

Product development and testing teams must collaborate properly: all the issuance should be communicated and the teams should together look for seamless issue resolution. To make this process seamless, use task management tools like Jira or Trello to clearly assign ensuring responsibilities and transparently tracking progress.

#7. Automation tools

Use automation tools wherever possible to simplify the testing process. It will speed up the process and save your time and money on manual workload. 

• Creating a mobile app? Test it with the Appium framework.
• Developing a web app? Test it with the Selenium framework.

These tools automate regression testing, reducing manual effort and enabling faster release cycles

#8. Adaptation and improvement

Regularly review and adapt the testing strategy with retrospective meetings, which provide feedback and insights gained from previous testing cycles. They identify areas for advancement, prioritize them, and continuously implement them to improve product quality.

By embracing these fundamental principles and integrating them into your product testing strategy, you pave the way for a robust quality assurance process that identifies issues, resolves them, and contributes to the success of the product in the market.

Testing Methods & Approaches

If a software product is extensive and designed to run on several platforms and devices, it should be thoroughly tested. A range of QA methods and tools are needed to thoroughly check products and services against set standards. QC and QA testing methodologies include unit testing, integrated testing of software, and testing of the full software system. 

The table below outlines various testing approaches using the example of building a mobile banking app. Such cases will help you understand when each approach is deployed.

Remember, that a little mistake can have an immediate impact on the size and income of any firm. As a result, it is critical to test properly and always solve issues.

Other Approaches of QA & QC Testing

While the previous section delved into specific testing methods such as unit testing, integration testing, etc., this one focuses on additional approaches like Shift-Left Testing, Automated Testing, and Manual Testing.

The table does not list these methods as they represent overarching strategies rather than specific testing types. The description in this section will give you a broader understanding of QA & QC testing approaches and why they matter when developing a product.

Shift-Left Testing

Shift-left testing is a method where testing starts early in the development process, usually during the requirement phase. This approach helps identify bugs early, speeds up feedback, and promotes collaboration among team members at the very beginning.

For example:

A software team develops a new mobile app for healthcare professionals. With shift-left testing, they begin testing must-have features like patient data security and appointment scheduling from the requirement phase. This early testing ensures the app complies with healthcare rules, identifies potential security vulnerabilities, and makes the app more reliable for users after launch.

Manual Testing

Manual testing relies on human testers (real people) to execute test cases, explore the application’s functionalities, and identify bugs or usability issues. This approach is important for exploratory testing, user experience testing, and scenarios that need human judgment and adaptability. Not everything can be spotted by a machine — remember it.

For example:

A team performs manual testing for a new educational software. Testers manually interact with learning modules, assess content accessibility, and provide feedback on interactive features to confirm a seamless learning experience for students. Manual testing includes thoroughness and accuracy in testing diverse scenarios that are hard to automate.

Automated Testing

Automated testing predicts using tools and scripts to automate testing processes and saves time and effort for the QC team. 24% of organizations that invested in this type of testing reported immediate returns on their investment.

This approach suits repetitive tasks, complex testing scenarios, and regression testing (checks if recent changes haven’t broken old features).

For example:

A software company automates tests for an e-commerce platform’s checkout process. Automation allows them to simulate user interactions, validate payment gateways, and test order processing workflows. Automated testing complements manual testing by handling repetitive tasks and freeing resources for more complex testing scenarios.

What Follows the QA & QC Testing?

After completing the quality assurance and quality control testing, the QC team prepares a test report that outlines all the testing activities carried out and the final findings. This report goes beyond just summarizing the tasks done by the testers.

The test report gives stakeholders insights into how well the product performed during testing. This information helps them make informed decisions about whether to proceed with launching the program or not.

Moreover, the report document includes information about any issues or bugs discovered during testing. It outlines the severity of these issues and offers recommendations for resolving them. This helps the development team prioritize and address the remaining issues before launching the product.

The test report highlights the software’s strengths, such as solid functionality, a smooth user experience, and compliance with quality standards. Such positive feedback reinforces confidence in the product and acknowledges the efforts put into the testing process.

Importance of QC And QA

Eventually, investing in QC and QA in software development procedures may safeguard a company’s brand, avoid unreliable products, and build consumer trust. These methods are defined by strict criteria and evaluation, as well as industry guidelines and best practices.

Furthermore, quality control is required since it assures that a corporation will employ evidence-based data and research, rather than personal observations, to verify that items live up to its standards.

One critical component of quality control is that it is a continual procedure that evaluates the product to verify that it is satisfying both production standards and customer needs.

No customer would like to use a product that might disturb them or not meet their expectations. If quality control techniques are neglected, a company’s reputation, dependability, and efficiency are all jeopardized. Testing a service may help with both sales and marketing by increasing customer trust.

If you require help developing and launching a product smoothly, the DashDevs team is here to assist you. Our experienced testers specialize in identifying and fixing bugs to make every product meet high-quality standards and be ready for the launch on time. We guarantee a flawless end product that exceeds your expectations.

Wrapping Up

There are numerous examples of software disasters wreaking havoc throughout history. Still, one of the most controversial challenges in software development is quality control for products. Many software companies doubt it’s worth as a separate procedure, putting their businesses and goods at risk in order to save some money.

It is critical for any custom software development services firm in the United States to select appropriate software testing approaches, processes, tactics, and tools that are best suited to the product’s main functionality. Consider all testing process steps to be a dynamic activity that must be accomplished within each timetable in order to obtain a more flexible and successful IT software product.

At DashDevs, we organize and manage projects to ensure your success. Find out more about what we do and contact us now!