SQA Analysis
Software Quality Assurance is all about analysis. One of the major purposes of this discipline is to know the inner workings of an application. To do this, careful analysis has to be exercised at all times. Although there are programs and applications that aid in knowing the inner workings and the actual performance of an application, these are only numbers and they would be nothing if they are not used for analysis.
Every person proficient in SQA needs to have that analytic personality for them to be successful in this field. Although analysis is just part of the job description, every step of the way deals with the actual analysis of the problem.
In SQA it is not just one person that needs to have that analytic personality. Everyone has to be critical about the application, and the process of building the particular software. SQA managers even have a bigger role in keeping everyone together while communicating the SCM manager all the time.Another analysis is needed in this communication. The team would also be composed of analyzers who are there to check the application piece by piece.
The importance of analysis is almost second to none in SQA. Companies who have invested so much in applications have to ensure that each line and each function in the written application have been analyzed before they are actually sent out to be used. The word of a bad application today spreads like wildfire and good news unfortunately is quite harder to get noticed. So everyone has to make sure that the program works well and careful analysis is the only way to do it.
SQA Analysis Stages
SQA analysis is found in different areas of SQA. From the start to the end of the SQA process. Analysis has to be done most of the time.
An SQA process starts with planning and right on this stage, analysis is already made. The SQA team works with developers and other involved in the program before they start with what approach they should. Although most of the things are theoretical at this stage, SQA have been practiced for decades that a software and approach towards a certain application is already known.
Right after planning, the team will be working mostly on testing wherein they use the theories they have about the application. SQA actually is a combination of careful testing with analysis. The software and tools used in SQA only gives numbers. It is still up to the SQA team whether they have been built according to the specifications set by the company.
In testing, they would know what the problems are and if possible suggest solutions to the problems.Planning and testing are the two stages of analysis the SQA team should take note. It is important for any team or even just the developers to sit down and plan on what should be done. Testing is native to the SQA team since this would give the team numbers and facts they need and would use this as their point of analysis.
SQA Documentation
Analysis is not just seeing the numbers and drawing conclusions from them. Like the developers, the SQA team should also take care of their documentation.
The SQA team should not only look at the application but also its documentation. Through the developer’s documentation, SQA team are given a glimpse of what the application is all about and how it is written. The notes attached to the documentation are especially scrutinized as it describes each specific function. The documentation is analyzed if they go with the actual written functions of the application.But besides analyzing the application, the SQA team also has their documentation to deal with. In their documentation they place their analysis in actual test cases.
The documentation is usually done while doing testing and once they found the problem; they place it in their documentation.The documentation tells the actual effect of the problem they have found. Through this documentation, the magnitude of the problem of analyzed. Sometimes, the problem could easily be remedied but the eventual effect of the error is big. Using test cases, SQA should easily give the developers a picture on how dangerous an error could be.Test cases are the most efficient tools for analysis. Using test cases, everyone could see how important or dangerous a single glitch could be.
Two documentations – the developers’ documentation will give the SQA team a glimpse of the actual application. On the other hand, their test cases are the concrete example and result of their careful analysis the documentation and the actual application.
SQA Analysis Progression
Analysis is always found in every stage of the application development. But that does not mean analysis needs to have the same intensity all over. The SQA team needs to work on the plan on the start. In this stage, they would just work on what will be the effect of the standard rules and applications they will have to do.
It is just a light consideration between developers and the SQA team. As we have said, the discipline of quality assurance especially in the software has been developed for years. Any applications that are being considered already know what standard tools, applications and standardization will be used.
The serious analysis comes in when the actual coding of the application starts. The SQA team works closely with the development team. Although the SQA does not have any direct influence from the developers, they basically look out on everything the developer does to the intended application.
If they see something wrong about the development of the application, they show it in writing by creating a case study. Through the case study, they can actually show how it could get really bad based on the actual problem of the application.
Generally, analysis in SQA comes in really easy, and then it gets hard because of the application ending with a simple conclusion. If the actual analysis of the application becomes too simple such as telling them what is wrong and what should be done, they are going against the principle of getting the right application for the user. Through test cases, they show their concern not only for the company but to the intended users as well.
