QC Testing
Understanding QC Testing
QC testing is a central component of almost every software development process. Development procedures ensure that products are high-quality and ready for market. Three outcomes must take place once a software development process concludes.
- The product must meet the needs of the end-users.
- The product must address every customer requirement.
- The product should help all business goals get achieved.
All three of these factors relate to the concept of quality. No matter the software product, quality matters more than anything else.
Various techniques and methods must get applied to ensure the quality of software. This is where QC and QA testing come into play. Both of which contribute to ensuring that a company’s software delivers results. Are you ready to find out more about QC and QA testing? Let’s continue.
The Basics of QC & QA Testing
The term QA stands for quality assurance. QC is an abbreviation for quality control. Both concepts connect to the notion of quality management. Sometimes QA testing and QC testing go hand-in-hand. But keep in mind that the two concepts have many differences.
The mission of QA testing is to ensure that a requested quality can get achieved. QC testing focuses on enabling the requested quality to come to life. QA prevents software defects. Whereas, QC identifies the specific software defects.
What Is QC Testing?
The QC testing process ensures that any piece of software is high-quality. A software project must meet certain processes, standards, and procedures. Otherwise, a development team cannot produce the required deliverables. (This applies to both internal and external deliverables.) So, what does a QC team do? It identifies software defects once a product gets developed. The recognition of defects takes place before the software gets released. The focus of QC is to both recognize and correct defects within software.
What Is Quality Control Testing
QA testing focuses on ensuring that any software meets high-quality standards. QA testing helps assure companies that they use the right standards. This also applies to development procedures. The QA testing process also helps ensure that all procedures get executed well.
Your average QA team has two main tasks.
- Improving the development processes of software.
- Improving the testing processes of software.
Both tasks prevent defects from arising when a product goes through development.
What Is Software Testing?
The software testing process is all about verification. Teams must verify the attributes of systems and many usage aspects. Why? To ensure that software operates the way that’s expected. Plus, software testers make sure that a product doesn’t have functions that it was never supposed to have. Software testing is a crucial aspect of QC. Testers use different techniques to detect issues involving the function of the software. Each software tester is on a mission to discover bugs. Plus, later on, the testers have to make sure that each bug got fixed.
What Is the Difference Between QC & QA in Testing?
Try to visualize the following notion about the difference between QC and QA testing. The QA process ensures that an assembly line (when it comes to software development) works. Meanwhile, QC checks out the products that come off of the assembly line. The QC team then verifies that the products meet the specifications of the company. As you can infer, QA and QC are important when it comes to ensuring that a product is successful.
The relationship between QA, QC, and other testing processes has a hierarchy.
QA sits at the very top of the pyramid. Why?
Because the goal of QA is to plan (and put in place) quality process evaluations.
QC is in the middle of the pyramid. That’s because QC is about making QA processes come to life.
This leads to QC testing. It’s how teams gather information about the quality of the software. Next, QC testers and other testers can go over the results of processes put in action. Other testers sit at the bottom of the pyramid.
What Comes First: QA or QC?
Quality control (QC) ensures that organizations discover software defects. The defects can then get corrected before going to market. Quality assurance (QA) is more of a proactive process. QA work begins before work on the deliverable itself starts. This means that QC is much more of a reactive process than QA. QC activity starts whenever a software development team begins a project.
Which Is Best: QA or QC?
QA and QC have equal importance when it comes to the software development process. QA focuses on preventing bugs, issues, and defects that can affect a system. That is why QA is a function of a software company’s management team. Instead of prevention, QC encompasses recognizing the bugs, issues, and defects. Next, the QC team tries to fix them.
That’s why QC is more of a corrective software concept than QA. You need both QA and QC to ensure that you have a successful product. When used together, they help software teams deliver high-quality results to customers.
What Are QA Tools?
Quality assurance (QA) tools are for ISO-compliant/regulated companies. The tools help simplify and boost software quality processes. QA tools can assist companies in managing their quality procedures. All QA tools are digital. The digital tools specialize in streamlining deviations. They also focus on CAPAs. CAPA stands for corrective and preventive actions.
QA Testing vs. QC Testing: A Comparison
Let’s go over ten key differences between QA testing and QC testing.
- QA focuses on preventing defects. QC focuses on recognizing and fixing defects.
- QA has a reputation for serving as a preventive technique. Whereas, QC serves as a corrective technique.
- QA testing defines procedures and standards that relate to customer requirements. QC testing helps ensure that those procedures and standards get followed by developers.
- QA testing focuses on building new or expansive processes. QC testing focuses on improving current or existing processes.
- QA serves as a software management tool. Whereas, QC is a corrective tool for software.
- QA testing is the responsibility of the entire project team. QC testing is the duty of only the actual testing team.
- QA focuses on verification. But the focus of QC is validation.
- QA testing is process-oriented. QC testing is product oriented.
- QA does not involve executing a code or program. Yet, QC testers get involved with executing codes and programs.
- QA testing takes place before Quality Control processes come into play. QC testing only happens once Quality Assurance processes are complete.
QA & QC Tests Improve the Quality of Software Products
Some software developers make one crucial mistake. They choose to not invest enough time in the testing phase. Developers feel that testing increases development time. Sure, that can happen. But it doesn’t take place as often as many companies assume. Software testing can seem like a challenge. But it’s important. Testing helps ensure that products are reliable and meet high-quality standards even if cybersecurity is envolved.
The two most efficient ways to boost quality in a product is to conduct both QA and QC testing. QA testing will verify that processes are getting followed in the correct manner. QC testing can ensure that defined quality standards get exceeded.
This applies to all sorts of software development techniques, methods, and approaches. As a result of testing, businesses end up saving both time and money. Plus, they discover new ways to gain competitive advantages over other companies.