Step-by-step approach to QA and Testing: Building bullet-proof software solutions

In a world (that we believe you know perfectly well 😉) where deadlines are tight and expectations are sky-high, delivering software that performs reliably, scales seamlessly, and meets user demands is non-negotiable. But to achieve this is not enough to have great developers. You must embed robust Quality Assurance (QA) and Testing practices into every development lifecycle stage. At its core, QA and Testing is about preventing defects, ensuring functionality, and enhancing user satisfaction.

Join us as we dive into the essential steps to build software that stands the test of time.

1. Define clear QA and Testing objectives and scope

Every successful QA strategy starts with clarity. Before you jump into testing, it’s essential to define:

• What needs to be tested: Functional and non-functional requirements, system integrations, APIs, user interfaces, etc.
• Why it needs testing: Define the risks, use cases, and potential impacts of failure.
• How it will be tested: Choose the appropriate testing types, tools, and methodologies.

Pro tip: Collaborate with stakeholders to align QA objectives with business goals. A shared understanding of what “success” looks like is key to effective testing.

2. Develop a comprehensive QA plan

Once you’ve set objectives, it’s time to map out your QA and Testing plan. This involves:

• Test strategy: Define whether you’ll focus on manual testing, automation, or a hybrid approach.
• Resource allocation: Determine the tools, environments, and team members required.
• Testing milestones: Set key testing phases, from unit tests to integration and user acceptance testing (UAT).

A solid plan provides the roadmap for consistent testing throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring no critical steps are overlooked.

3. Leverage test automation for efficiency

Manual testing is crucial in specific scenarios, such as exploratory or usability testing. However, when it comes to repetitive tasks like regression testing, automation is your best friend.

Benefits of test automation:

• Speed: Faster testing cycles mean you can release updates more frequently.
• Consistency: Automated scripts eliminate human error in repetitive tasks.
• Scalability: As your application grows, automated tests scale alongside it.

Best practice: Start small. Automate critical workflows first, then expand as your team gains confidence in tools like Cypress, JUnit, or Cucumber.

4. Execute functional testing

Functional testing ensures that your software performs according to its intended specifications. This includes verifying that each feature delivers the expected output and aligns with user requirements.

Key functional testing types:

• Unit Testing: Focuses on individual components or modules.
• Integration Testing: Ensures different modules or systems work together as intended.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Validates the application from the end-user perspective.

Don’t forget: Involve real users during UAT. Their feedback can reveal blind spots in your internal testing processes.

5. Incorporate non-functional testing

While functional testing checks what your software does, non-functional testing examines how well it does it. This comprises:

• Performance Testing: Evaluates speed, responsiveness, and stability under load.
• Scalability Testing: Ensures the system can handle increased workloads as it grows.
• Security Testing: Identifies vulnerabilities to protect against cyber threats.

Pro tip: Non-functional testing often requires specialized tools and environments. Popular choices include Postman for API testing and JMeter for performance testing.

6. Establish a continuous testing pipeline

In current Agile and DevOps-driven workflows, testing cannot be a one-time activity – it must be continuous. By integrating testing into your Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, you are able to:

• Detect and fix defects earlier.
• Confirm the new code doesn’t break existing functionality.
• Deliver updates to users faster.

Tool tip: Tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, and CircleCI make it easy to embed automated tests into your CI/CD process.

7. Monitor and analyze results

Testing doesn’t end when the scripts stop running. Post-testing analysis is critical for understanding what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve.

• Track key metrics: Defect density, test coverage, and mean time to detect (MTTD) are useful indicators.
• Use dashboards: Tools like TestRail or Zephyr provide a clear view of test results and trends.
• Retrospectives: Conduct regular reviews with your team to identify areas for optimization.

8. Build a culture of quality

And finally please remember that more than a process, QA is a mindset. A culture prioritizing quality from the outset fosters collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. So, always encourage cross-functional teamwork: involve developers, testers, and business stakeholders in QA and Testing discussions. Shared ownership of quality leads to better outcomes.

 

How 99x Europe helps you build bullet-proof software

Need some extra hands? With 15+ years of experience and a proven track record, our elite QA and Testing nearshore teams are ready to help you:

• Scale your QA processes to meet project demands.
• Implement automation frameworks for faster, more reliable testing.
• Ensure your software meets the highest standards of functionality and performance.

Our end-to-end approach combines expertise in functional and non-functional testing with advanced tools like Cypress, JUnit, Cucumber, Postman, and Jenkins to improve the quality of your applications and enable shorter release cycles:

Test automation - Reducing manual intervention along your application testing process by automating test cases to increase workflow speed, efficiency and reliability.

Functional - Testing the expected functionality of your applications against their business and functional requirements to ensure they comply with specifications and user needs.

Non-functional - Testing the behavior of your applications under different real-time conditions, and measuring quality attributes like reliability, scalability and availability to determine their responsiveness and stability.

 

Get in touch and let’s boost the QA and Testing of your software together.

We also invite you to check this case study to discover how we implemented a hybrid manual and automated testing strategy on a leading UK-based furniture aggregation platform.