Testing, Quality Assurance and Quality Control
According to ANSI/IEEE 1059 standard, Testing can be defined as A process of analyzing a software item to detect the differences between existing and required conditions (that is defects/errors/bugs) and to evaluate the features of the software item.
| S.N. | Quality Assurance | Quality Control | Testing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Activities which ensure the implementation of processes, procedures and standards in context to verification of developed software and intended requirements. | Activities which ensure the verification of developed software with respect to documented (or not in some cases) requirements. | Activities which ensure the identification of bugs/error/defects in the Software. |
| 2 | Focuses on processes and procedures rather then conducting actual testing on the system. | Focuses on actual testing by executing Software with intend to identify bug/defect through implementation of procedures and process. | Focuses on actual testing. |
| 3 | Process oriented activities. | Product oriented activities. | Product oriented activities. |
| 4 | Preventive activities. | It is a corrective process. | It is a corrective process. |
| 5 | It is a subset of Software Test Life Cycle (STLC). | QC can be considered as the subset of Quality Assurance. | Testing is the subset of Quality Control. |
Testing and Debugging
Testing:
It involves the identification of bug/error/defect in the software without correcting it. Normally professionals with a Quality Assurance background are involved in the identification of bugs. Testing is performed in the testing phase.
Debugging:
It involves identifying, isolating and fixing the problems/bug. Developers who code the software conduct debugging upon encountering an error in the code. Debugging is the part of White box or Unit Testing. Debugging can be performed in the development phase while conducting Unit Testing or in phases while fixing the reported bugs.
