In today’s world, software has become an integral part of our lives. From mobile applications to web-based software and desktop applications - software is everywhere. With the increasing demand for software, there is a growing need for high-quality software that is reliable, efficient, and secure.

According to numerous research, the user today does not tolerate low quality, slow performance, let alone production bugs.

Whether you have your own development team or are outsourcing the work on a software project to another company, ensuring top software quality must be your top priority. In this blog post, we will share some tips and best practices that can help you ensure top software quality in all software development projects.

With a vast array of opportunities and options when choosing a new software or app to use, the modern user leaves software providers with no room for error. If they are not satisfied with your service, they will most likely uninstall your software and move on to find an alternative one. At least that is what research suggests.

According to research, 88% of people would stop using software or an app that has bugs or glitches. What is more, as much as 32% of respondents claim they would stop using the app the moment they encountered a problem with it.

This leads to the conclusion that, if something is being released, it needs to be of the best possible quality to satisfy the users and make the project you have been working on for months, or sometimes even years, a success.

However, even if you do eliminate bugs, there is one more thing that has emerged as a crucial factor when it comes to software quality today - customer experience (CX) or user experience (UX).

This is why what we first need to do is define software quality.

How to define software quality?

No two products are the same, and no two projects are the same. There is no secret formula or a list of items that need to be covered for your final product to be defined as that of top quality. There are some general instructions on how to analyze if a product is of good quality:

However, there are numerous more complex factors that impact the final conclusion, some of which may not be considered when you first think about software quality.

One thing is certain and is of ultimate importance.

The software has to fulfill both what the client and the potential user are expecting.

When defining software quality, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not just about meeting the technical requirements or specifications. In addition to meeting the functional requirements, top-quality software should also provide a positive user experience and meet the needs and expectations of the end-users. This requires understanding the user’s perspective and designing the software with their needs and preferences in mind.

What is more, while just recently all these factors were considered to be of equal importance, today, user experience has found its place on the top of the list of priorities.

So, how can you ensure top software quality in your software development projects?

Ensuring software quality

Start with clear requirements

One of the most important steps in ensuring top software quality is starting with clear requirements. This means that you need to have a clear understanding of what the software is supposed to do, what features it should have, and what its intended audience is. This will help you avoid misunderstandings and ensure that everyone involved in the project is on the same page.

Project requirements refer to the ways in which more general project goals will be achieved. Knowing what the requirements are, as well as knowing what the goals of the product are, will, for starters, help you determine whether the software is of good quality. If it fulfills its requirements and successfully accomplishes the client’s goals for the business, it’s on a good path to a top-quality software.

Plan your project carefully

Planning is essential in software development. You need to plan your project carefully to ensure that you have all the necessary resources, such as time, budget, and manpower. A well-planned project can help you avoid delays and ensure that the software is delivered on time.

Software quality management should also focus on the project’s scope, budget and deadline. These business values should lead the way in the process of planning and executing software testing and define what needs to be prioritized during which stage of the project development.

Use agile development methodology

Agile development methodology is a popular approach in software development. It emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. Using an agile approach can help you ensure that the software meets the needs of your customers and is delivered on time.

These are only some of its benefits:

• Flexible approach to changes, adjustments and adding new features
• Frequent testing
• Finding bugs in early stages of development
• Incorporating user feedback into the development process
• Cutting down on costs and time

Frequent and continuous testing is one of the most significant advantages of agile project management methods. By testing early and often, agile teams can detect bugs and other issues in the software development process, which helps to ensure that they are resolved quickly and efficiently. This approach helps to prevent minor issues from becoming major roadblocks, which could impact the project timeline and budget.

Testing early - Testing often. This is the key.

By prioritizing testing and quality assurance throughout the development process, agile teams can deliver high-quality software that meets the needs of the end-users and exceeds client expectations.

Test your software thoroughly

To ensure that the software is reliable, efficient, and secure, software testing not only needs to be done often, it needs to be thorough. There are several types of testing, such as unit testing, integration testing, and system testing. Each type of testing serves a different purpose, and you should use a combination of them to ensure that your software is of high quality.

Use code reviews

Reviewing code written by another developer is an essential step in the software development process to ensure that it is error-free, meets requirements, and follows proper guidelines.

During a code review, a reviewer asks themselves and the developer important questions to guarantee the software runs smoothly and serves its intended purpose. The code review process is a collaborative effort that can help identify potential issues early on, preventing them from becoming major obstacles in the development process.

In order to conduct a thorough code review, a reviewer must analyze several key factors:

• the presence of logical errors within the code
• ensuring that the code aligns with the project’s requirements and that all necessary cases have been fully implemented
• checking that the code conforms to established style guidelines, as this can affect the readability and maintainability of the code over time
• assessing the quality of automated tests to determine their ability to effectively test the code and to suggest modifications where necessary

The purpose of a code review is not only to identify errors and bugs in the code but also to provide feedback to the original developer. Peer review offers a chance for developers to learn from one another, share ideas, and improve the overall quality of the code.

Incorporate automated testing and version control

Automated testing is another great way to ensure top software quality. Automated testing involves using software tools to test your software automatically. This can help you save time and ensure that your software is of high quality.

It provides developers with the ability to test their code continuously, as opposed to waiting for a manual testing phase, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Automated testing also enables developers to run tests on a variety of platforms and configurations, ensuring that software works seamlessly across all devices and environments.

By automating testing, software development teams can reduce the time and effort required for manual testing and shift their focus to more critical tasks such as code optimization and feature development.

Furthermore, automated testing can be integrated with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, which allows for continuous testing throughout the software development process.

Risk management

When developing a product, it is important to shift focus from simply working on a project to working on a product. This approach allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the role and function of the product once it is in the hands of users.

For example, think of the following:

• the preparedness of the architecture for future feature expansion or any additional changes,
• scalability of infrastructure,
• software security assurance,
• ability to handle a large influx of users in the event of application success.

You have to be prepared for different situations that may potentially happen and affect the product you are working on. By anticipating potential challenges and risks, development teams can proactively identify and mitigate issues before they impact the user experience. Effective risk management can also help prevent costly and time-consuming rework by addressing issues early on in the development cycle.

Adopt a user-centric approach

By placing the user at the center of the development process, software teams can create products that meet the needs and expectations of their target audience.

One key aspect of a user-centric approach is understanding the user’s goals and objectives. This requires gathering feedback and insights from users throughout the development process, such as through user testing, surveys, and other forms of feedback collection. By gaining a deep understanding of the user’s needs, preferences, and pain points, developers can create products that meet their needs and provide a seamless user experience.

However, incorporating user feedback does not stop during the development phase. Once your product is released, the users should be able to send their feedback and report on any issues, which you can then take care of during the maintenance and support phase. Additionally, you can use different software to help you analyze user behavior and define potential issues and problematic aspects of your product.

Recognize the importance of the QA role

You may be a company that is outsourcing the entire process of software development, including the testing stage. You may have a software development company but no QA department. In this case, either your developers are in charge of conducting QA, or you outsource the testing part of the development cycle to an outside company.

Whatever the situation may be, it is crucial to recognize the importance of the QA role in the software development process.

After all, as was already mentioned, the quality of software does not depend only on its lack or presence of bugs and glitches. It takes a lot more knowledge and a far more complex approach to testing to produce software of quality.

This is why the people conducting software testing need to be well-prepared and trained to complete their work in a satisfactory manner. They need to know which type of testing to conduct, in which way and during which project stages, they need to communicate with the development team, and be well-acquainted with project requirements, as well as with its milestones and deadlines and, last but not least, they need to understand the market and the potential user.

Choose quality

Ensuring your software is of optimal quality, both in terms of its technical and business requirements, as well as user experience, involves taking into account many different factors - all of which make it a complicated process that cannot be done without involving people of experience. This refers not only to the development who will produce the code, but also to those that will review the code, those that will test the product, as well as project managers and others involved.

In order to achieve top software quality, it is crucial to choose quality in every aspect of the development process. This includes using high-quality development tools and frameworks, establishing clear development standards and guidelines, implementing thorough testing and quality assurance processes, and ensuring continuous improvement and iteration. Ultimately, investing in software quality will pay off in the long run by reducing maintenance costs, improving user satisfaction, and increasing overall business success. By choosing quality every step of the way, you can create software that not only meets but, what is more, exceeds expectations, setting your business apart in a highly competitive market.

Choose Mono

Need to augment your team with a QA expert? Need a whole team that will ensure the quality of your software? We’ve got you covered!

Experienced teams of developers, DevOps engineers, testers and project managers know how to make your product reach that desired stage of ultimate user satisfaction. We have been doing it for twenty years - join us in building great products!