What is quality assurance (QA) in software development?

Quality assurance (QA) is an extensive process integral to the entire software development lifecycle, distinct from mere testing, as it encompasses proactive and reactive measures to ensure product quality. Unlike quality control, which involves post-factum checks, QA is intertwined with every phase from analysis, requirement specification, and design to development, testing, and deployment. QA specialists play a crucial role by establishing processes, conducting root cause analyses, ensuring documentation quality, performing audits, and providing training to embed quality into the team’s practices. They also focus on automation and maintaining test plans to adapt to evolving product needs while executing various types of tests, including smoke, scenario, exploratory, and regression tests, to uphold quality standards. Ultimately, QA is a collaborative responsibility that benefits from the expertise of dedicated specialists who help streamline practices and ensure high-quality outcomes.