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what is different from QA and TESTING?

 
Greenhorn
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hi, all!
i am a novice at testing. now i am testing a web software called filemanager3.0. but i have a question about QA and testing. i know the concept about them, but i dont really know about what different task from QA and testing is.
could you tell me the main different of the two job?
thanks a lot
 
Rancher
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Welcome to JavaRanch.

I'd say testing is about flushing out bugs in the code, while QA is a higher-level concept. QA would concern itself with other areas like usability, stability and performance as well. Problems in those areas might be uncovered by testing, too, so there is some overlap.
 
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I'd say that the role of QA is to increase confidence in the system (I stole that from Ron Jeffries). Testing is one technique to do that - others include static code analyses, code reviews etc.

I also don't like the notion that testing is about "flushing out bugs in the code". Ideally, tests wouldn't find any bugs, because there aren't any. We'd still need the tests to confirm that there aren't any.

In fact I think the best teams use tests to help them preventing introducing bugs in the first place, for example by writing them before writing the production code to make them pass.
 
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QA is a bigger concept than Testing. Testing is one of many ways to ensure Software quality.

There are two functions of testing:
1. To find out the defects in the software
2. To get confidence that the software can perform as required.

(From jeff tian's book "Software Quality Engineering")
 
Ilja Preuss
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Originally posted by Jack Lee:
There are two functions of testing:
1. To find out the defects in the software
2. To get confidence that the software can perform as required.



Well, I think there can be more:

- to provide an unambiguous specification/documentation of the system
- to assist in designing a well decoupled system
 
jerry werder
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thanks all!
after i read your post. i think the concept of QA is larger than testing.
QA is a team to improve the software quality and make sure that the software can suit client requirement. and testing is a member who find and report the bug at software.
this is my opinion, is it right?
 
Ulf Dittmer
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testing is a member who find and report the bug at software.


There are different kinds of tests, and while human beings using the software are one way of testing (what I referred to as "flushing out bugs"), there are other kinds, like automatically run unit tests, which Ilja referred to in his first post.
[ September 06, 2006: Message edited by: Ulf Dittmer ]
 
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QA make sures that you are delivering a quality product. The scope of QA starts from requirements to till delivering the product. It provides general guidelines how to write documents(requirements and other documents), how to test etc.,

Testing makes sures that you are delivering a bug free product.
 
Ilja Preuss
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Originally posted by KJ Reddy:
QA make sures that you are delivering a quality product. The scope of QA starts from requirements to till delivering the product. It provides general guidelines how to write documents(requirements and other documents), how to test etc.,



I know some people who would argue that part of the above actually is the job of QC, but I've never fully understood the difference...

Testing makes sures that you are delivering a bug free product.



Ah, not at all. It just helps us *find* (and/or prevent) *some* of the defects that might be in there.

Although it *is* true that teams that are very good at testing often manage to deliver quite defect free software.
 
Ilja Preuss
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Originally posted by jerry werder:
QA is a team to improve the software quality and make sure that the software can suit client requirement.



I prefer to relate to QA as an activity that is the responsibility of the whole development team.

It is true that in many organizations, there is a specific QA department. The notion that the rest of the organization therefore doesn't need to care about quality doesn't sound optimal to me, though.
 
jerry werder
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Originally posted by KJ Reddy:
QA make sures that you are delivering a quality product. The scope of QA starts from requirements to till delivering the product. It provides general guidelines how to write documents(requirements and other documents), how to test etc.,

Testing makes sures that you are delivering a bug free product.



now, i am a fresh tester(black box testing), but i also have to write testing requirements, testing plan and testing case. it is hard to me, i just do the job 3 month. so i have lost at the problem.

i have new question, what is the main different from QA and QC?
one is assurance and other is control. in my opinion, with the verbatim meaning, they are the same job.
[ September 10, 2006: Message edited by: jerry werder ]
 
Ilja Preuss
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Originally posted by jerry werder:

i have new question, what is the main different from QA and QC?
one is assurance and other is control. in my opinion, with the verbatim meaning, they are the same job.



I think it would be a good idea to start a new thread on that topic.

http://faq.javaranch.com/view?UseOneThreadPerQuestion
 
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I agree with Ilja. I've started another thread for you.
 
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