The full form of SQA in the context of quality is Software Quality Assurance.
Software Quality Assurance (SQA) encompasses the systematic approaches used to ensure software quality and adherence to established standards and procedures throughout the software development lifecycle. It's a proactive process that aims to prevent defects rather than simply detecting them after they occur.
Here's a breakdown of what SQA involves:
- Monitoring Software Engineering Processes: SQA actively monitors every phase of software development, from requirements gathering to coding, testing, and deployment.
- Ensuring Adherence to Standards: SQA checks that the software development activities conform to pre-defined standards, methodologies, and best practices. This can include industry standards (like ISO standards), organizational standards, or project-specific guidelines.
- Defect Prevention: A key goal of SQA is to identify potential problems early on and implement preventative measures to avoid defects. This can involve code reviews, design inspections, and other quality control techniques.
- Continuous Improvement: SQA promotes continuous improvement of software development processes by analyzing data, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing changes to enhance quality.
- Documentation and Auditing: SQA ensures that all software development activities are properly documented and that regular audits are conducted to verify compliance with standards and procedures.
In essence, SQA is a comprehensive approach to managing and ensuring software quality throughout the entire software development lifecycle.
