| Software testing can be defined as the process in | | | | Software Quality |
| which the tester aims at checking the software | | | | The quality of any software can be determined |
| for errors and also, verifying that the functional | | | | by the following yardsticks: |
| requirements of a software are met. The system | | | | - It must be free of bugs |
| is examined under controlled conditions. The basic | | | | - It must be delivered on the due date |
| orientation is detection of faults within the system. | | | | - It must be complete within the budget initially |
| In this process, a program or an application is | | | | allotted |
| executed with the intentions of improving its | | | | - It must meet all the requirements and |
| quality. One strives to find the bugs within the | | | | expectations of the client |
| software. As software industry has now grown in | | | | Software quality assurance |
| both size and complexity, so has its wide area of | | | | Software Quality Assurance or SQA, as it is |
| applications. We see soft wares in banking | | | | popularly known, is a method by which one aims |
| industry, in gaming industry, in management | | | | at monitoring the whole process of software |
| applications etc. Each has its own target | | | | engineering and take measures at appropriate |
| customers and users. Before any software is | | | | durations for ensuring that the quality of the |
| launched, one must attempt to make an | | | | software is not compromised with. This is |
| assessment as to its audience, customers, etc. | | | | approached by use of audits of quality |
| The process of testing aims to aid in this regard. | | | | management system by which the system was |
| Verification and Validation | | | | initially built. A few examples of the quality |
| Verification is a thwarting mechanism which helps | | | | standards are CMMI (Capability Maturity Model |
| in detection of all the possible weak points within a | | | | Integration) or ISO 9000. |
| software before the process of testing actually | | | | SQA covers the whole process of development |
| begins. | | | | of any software and includes the design, coding, |
| Validation takes place after verification and this is | | | | control of the code, reviews of the code, |
| where the concrete testing begins. One aims at | | | | managing the configurations and the release of |
| finding the defects present in the functional | | | | the final product. It is basically a method to control |
| requirements or the software's specifications. | | | | the processes of software development. |