Quality is everything in software development because users need the best experience. Without a solid QA life cycle, even the best coding efforts can lead to bugs and performance issues that hurt user satisfaction and damage your brand.

So, how can you ensure your software delivers the quality your users expect? The answer lies in an efficient quality assurance (QA) process within the software development life cycle.

In this blog, we’ll discuss each phase of the QA process and show you how it ensures quality at every step of your development journey.

6 Key Phases of QA Lifecycle

Let’s break down the important stages of the QA life cycle in agile and traditional software development:

1. Requirement Analysis

The first step in the QA life cycle is identifying what needs to be tested. By closely examining project criteria, the team ensures it fully understands the aspects to validate. Collaboration among stakeholders helps identify testable features of the program.

Reviewing specs, user stories, and acceptance criteria establishes the scope of testing and specifies what will be covered. This phase ensures alignment between development and QA teams, laying the foundation for the testing process.

2. Test Planning

Once the requirements are clear, a detailed test plan is developed. This plan outlines the testing process, including scope, goals, resources, and schedule. Testing techniques, including functional, regression, and performance testing, are defined.

Clear communication ensures all team members understand the expectations and procedures. This phase allocates resources and sets the direction for the upcoming testing stages.

3. Test Case Development

In this phase, the team creates specific test cases based on requirements and the test strategy. These test cases are designed to thoroughly test each software feature. The team defines the actions, expected outcomes, and test data for validation.

Well-defined test cases ensure a methodical and exhaustive testing process, helping to detect errors early. This phase sets the standard for software quality and guides testing throughout the process.

Read this blog to learn more about writing test cases.

4. Test Environment Setup

Before executing tests, a suitable test environment must be set up. This environment simulates real-world conditions, closely matching the production system. It includes the necessary hardware, software, and network configurations.

The test environment ensures that results reflect the software's actual performance in a live environment. Setting up this environment minimizes external interference and helps identify software bugs that are not visible in the development environment.

5. Test Execution

With the environment set up, it's time to run the test cases. This phase involves executing each test case, logging defects, and tracking testing progress. The QA team monitors the results, checking if the software meets the defined criteria and exhibits the expected behavior.

Any defects are documented and communicated to the development team for resolution. Test execution is crucial in the QA life cycle, as it ensures that critical issues are identified and resolved before release.

6. Test Closure

Test closure is the final step after running the tests. The QA team prepares final reports, reviews all findings, and ensures all issues are fixed. The team completes the documentation and suggests improvements for future projects.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the QA life cycle, a retrospective is conducted. This phase ensures the software is ready for deployment and meets quality standards, with all deliverables fulfilled and issues resolved.

Make vStellar Your Test Automation Partner in QA Lifecycle

vStellar's QA automation framework optimizes the entire QA life cycle, simplifying testing and reducing manual effort. It integrates easily with CI/CD pipelines like Jenkins and Azure DevOps, supporting regression, performance, and functional testing. By automating repetitive tasks, vStellar frees up QA teams to focus on complex issues, speeding up the development cycle.

Its real-time collaboration features enhance communication, ensuring faster issue resolution. With efficient testing and detailed reporting, vStellar is the ideal partner for enhancing your QA life cycle and delivering high-quality software more quickly.

FAQs

How Does the QA Life Cycle Fit Into Agile?

The QA life cycle in agile development operates in parallel with development cycles, enabling continuous testing and rapid feedback.

What Is the Main Goal of the QA Life Cycle in Software Testing?

Early identification of flaws, improvement of product quality, and assurance of software compliance with standards are the major objectives.

Can the QA Life Cycle in Agile Vary Across Teams?

Yes, different agile teams may adapt the QA testing life cycle to meet their specific project needs and methodologies.

6 Phases of QA Lifecycle in Software Testing

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