Quality assurance and testing are often used interchangeably in the world of business. The two terms are similar but not quite the same when it comes to defining job roles. Here is a look at some key differences between quality assurance and testing.
What Is Quality Assurance?
Quality assurance is a set of activities designed to ensure that a product or service under development meets established quality standards. It is all about providing quality for the end-user.
Quality assurance is sometimes referred to as “quality control.” The two terms are interchangeable in most cases, but there may be exceptions.
Quality assurance is concerned with the entire product production cycle. It encompasses everything from initial research and development to customer service, warranty claims, and more. Quality assurance may use tools such as checklists, audits, and samples.
What is Quality Testing?
The goal of testing is to determine whether a product or service meets its design specifications. Testing often involves stress testing, usability testing, and other types of analysis.
Testing can be done by anyone, from a non-technical user, an engineer to a programmer. It’s not uncommon for QA specialists to assist with various projects related to the product at hand. For example, a QA specialist might be called in to do a user, functional, or regression test.
The QA specialist may even conduct testing for a project that’s being developed by another team in the company.
The difference between quality assurance and testing is blurry. Some people see them as two sides of a coin: quality assurance ensures the product is ready for testing, and testing ensures it works as it’s supposed to.
Other people think of quality assurance as a concept that encompasses everything from development to after-sales support. Here are some of the main differences between the two.
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The Processes and Purposes
The processes and purposes of testing and quality assurance are different. Testing complies with predetermined procedures, regulations, and standards.
If the product or service isn’t compliant, it has to be re-evaluated or taken for further exams. This way, the quality of the product is maintained. Testing is a type of validation process.
Quality assurance, on the other hand, is more concerned with the processes that the product undertakes. It is about promoting quality for both the product and the method of making it.
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Timing
Quality assurance and testing processes are conducted at different times. Quality assurance comes before testing and typically starts during the onset of a project. It can be used to determine the procedures to be used during testing. Quality assurance is a proactive measure while testing is reactive.
Experts will decide on what is to be executed during the testing process. In automated testing, katalon and selenium are popular choices. When choosing between katalon vs. selenium, consider the cost of maintenance and your ability to pay for extra charges.
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Scope
Quality assurance covers a much broader scope than testing. Also, it contains other micro-processes, including the inspection of security, usability, and stability. Testing doesn’t cover much else.
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Requirements
Quality assurance must provide examples of the required standards and procedures during the design phase to ensure developers see exactly what needs to be done. Once development is completed, quality assurance will come in again to ensure all the work is up to scratch before sending it on to testers.
The guidelines ensure that there is a structure in place that all team members can replicate. This ensures that everyone understands what they should do and how it should be done, further eliminating any room for error in the development process. With testing, there are no such requirements.
The standards for quality assurance are typically determined by a team that is independent of the testing team. In addition, quality assurance processes are entirely separate from testing processes.
In the end, both testing and quality assurance are necessary. They are required in the process of creating a successful product. When used together, it is easier to identify bugs, detect inefficient processes, and address them.
