Quality Assurance is Critical for Custom Software

Custom software is tailor-made for organizations that want to incorporate features from multiple applications. It differs from packaged software solutions, which are ready-made for the general public. Companies use custom software to enhance business processes and automate administrative tasks. However, these programs don't always provide the functionality that businesses require. That's why quality assurance (QA) is a crucial component of the software development process. Developers can eliminate any problems (such as bugs, viruses and critical errors) before a piece of software is released on the market. Here are four reasons why QA is critical for custom software development.

1. QA Detects Security Flaws in Custom Software

Product testing is one of the most important jobs of a QA engineer. This process allows companies to identify any bugs and security vulnerabilities quickly so they can get their products to market in a quicker time frame. There are two main categories of software testing. Dynamic testing involves assessing the quality of an executed program, while static testing requires a review of a program's code and documentation.

Custom software testing is so important because it results in a higher quality product. It improves customer satisfaction, reduces customer churn — the loss of customers as a result of an inferior product — and identifies potentially critical defects, too.

2. QA Keeps Custom Software Development Costs Down

Software development can be a long, expensive process. QA engineers reduce costs by identifying software errors early on in the development process instead of waiting until a program has been launched. This prevents the end user from discovering a problem with a piece of custom software and means companies won't have to recall a program at a later date.

QA engineers assess different components of a piece of custom software at various intervals during development, meaning the finished product has been rigorously tested.

3. QA Ensures Custom Software Adheres to Government and Organizational Standards

Custom software must adhere to standards laid down by organizations such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, whose Software and Systems Division stipulates guidelines that pertain to software development and execution.

QA engineers make sure custom programs comply with federal and state legislation at all times and make changes to the software as necessary.
QA also ensures that custom software meets an organization's quality standards. Software companies spend thousands of dollars on software development and want their finished product to properly reflect their brand. QA engineers help them achieve this goal.

4. QA Increases Custom Software Efficiency

QA also increases efficiency. Engineers gather valuable data during custom software development that can be used for analysis. This helps companies develop their products and improve service processes.

During QA, engineers gain valuable intelligence into product quality issues. Software companies can then use this data to connect with their customers and design products that better serve the end user. Analytics provide companies with much-needed feedback about custom software and the opportunity to predict software development trends.

QA engineers guarantee custom software does what it's supposed to do. They oversee the entire software development process, from design through to implementation. Typically, this involves testing the software and making sure an application adheres to quality standards. QA is essential for software development and lets companies review and monitor programs before a product launch.