Software bugs can cost millions and bring a company to a complete standstill. To prevent this from happening, it is important to develop secure, stable, and high-quality business applications – and to do so through quality assurance that is anchored in the entire software development process from the very beginning.
Short & concise
What does quality assurance mean in software development?
The new development of high-quality individual software is a highly complex task: it must combine the requirements of the customer with what is feasible. The goal is to develop a user-friendly, functional, efficient, robust and maintainable product. In addition, the software must be secure and powerful, as well as reliable and error-free.
The methods and tools of quality assurance in software development are intended to ensure all these properties and characteristics. That is why it is a comprehensive process that ideally extends continuously over the entire development cycle of a software as an integral component from the very beginning. In addition to tasks such as requirements management, software architecture and software verification, test management and the monitoring of system and acceptance tests play an important role. The goal of quality assurance: After its implementation, the software should meet the requirements of the target group and prove itself successfully in a productive environment.
The principle behind holistic or holistic quality assurance, also known as end-to-end quality assurance: Specific system components are not only checked individually for their usability, but are viewed in their entirety in the IT environment. A look at the end use is taken from the very first phase, and even earlier in the case of new software development. The subsequent IT environment in which the application is to be used is taken into account as early as the planning stage. In the further phases of software development, continuous checks are made to ensure that the set goal is actually achieved. This is done, for example, by means of permanently executed automatic tests during the development phase or with performance and UI tests.
Holistic quality assurance of enterprise software: more than testing
When it comes to the holistic quality assurance of so-called enterprise software – i.e. complex business applications – their tasks take on a new dimension: such systems have a large data budget and are networked in an integrated system landscape. Within the company organization, enterprise software usually operates in a large environment in which many different people are involved – for example, the various departments and management. As a rule, digital enterprise business applications are developed for a service life of ten to 20 years due to their complexity. These projects require very high investments, which further emphasizes the role of quality assurance. In practice, the enterprise business application is always evolving and adapting as needed throughout its lifecycle.
It is possible for enterprise software to meet its functional requirements without quality assurance; however, errors always occur during software development. In addition, vulnerabilities and security gaps in the applications can arise through the integration of so-called third-party libraries into the company’s own software. Not only due to technical challenges such as quality problems with specifications, code or design or the integration of different systems and technologies. In these complex, long-lived enterprise business applications, the efficient organization of quality assurance plays an overriding role. Each project is unique and unforeseen challenges can always arise. For example, requirements and the business environment may change. That is why transparency and communication within the teams are of paramount importance for the success of the project. It is extremely important to create realistic schedules and to regularly monitor and adjust progress and risks.
What is the benefit of holistic quality assurance in enterprise software?
So it’s not just about finding bugs or testing. Long before the first line of code is written, quality assurance of enterprise software already intervenes in the process during requirements management. The earlier bugs are identified, the shorter the development time and the lower the costs. Those who see quality assurance as an integral part of software development from the outset will not be able to completely rule out problems, but they will be able to keep them as small as possible. Only with holistic quality assurance can the desired software quality be achieved.
Holistic quality assurance has the following advantages:
- avoidance of downtime: With regular testing, potential problems can be detected and avoided at an early stage, resulting in reduced downtime.
- satisfied customers: High enterprise business application software quality leads to satisfied customers who remain loyal to the company and recommend it to others.
- cost savings: Avoiding errors in the software development process can save time and money that would otherwise be spent fixing them.
- increase in reputation: high quality enterprise software leads to a positive perception of the company in the market.
Conclusion
Holistic quality assurance is integrated into the entire development process from requirements to deployment in the cloud. It understands the issues and challenges at all stages of the software development process and has aligned its actions with these areas. From the initial requirements analysis, it identifies the gaps and potential problem cases.
