From the stage of its development right to its final usage, a software application undergoes many tests to determine its functionality. These tests are done by qualified quality analysts. To know more about the job and its prospects, read on!
program's reliability.
» Depending on the nature of the program, alter the speed of usage in order to see what effect that has on the running of the application.
» Write a testing program that checks another program, or application for faults.
» See if the particular application interferes with any other program that normally runs on a computer.
As of April 2020, the average salary of a quality analyst is $62,188.
* Source: indeed.com
In a life cycle of a business, several processes are involved. These processes are carefully designed to meet the requirements of various projects. While planning a methodology for completion of any particular project, or an individual business process, it is important to provide for continuous monitoring, to ensure successful realization of desired goals.
Meeting the end result in the speculated time and as per the pre-decided standards is a very important phase while developing a solution for the client. Thus, to achieve confirmed results, analysis of the quality of the entire project and every single program involved is indispensable for an organization.
And for this sole purpose, quality analysts who are qualified in different aspects of the business cycle are hired.
Roles and Responsibilities
Quality analysis is a process of determining and deciding measures to achieve preset standards of a desired result. This is done by collecting information, taking measures, and monitoring the complete process of developing and creating solutions with the help of certain tools facilitated by software.
A quality analyst is brought into a project during its development phase. He/she is required to create tests based on logical paths to check the efficiency of the program. When a software is developed, each stage of the development cycle needs to be monitored and approved by a quality analyst team.
These analysts ensure that the progress of the software is according to plan and that the user-friendliness and utility of the software is similar to what was envisioned by the creators. A quality analyst is like an interface bridging the gap between the developers of a software application and its end users.
Out of the many responsibilities, the primary task entrusted to him/her is to ensure that the applications are being developed to attain the requisites as specified by the customer. He/she also ensures that the result collaborates with standards set according to the expectations and demands of the customer.
The primary factor of the quality analyst job description is to check if everything is working properly and that there are no glitches in the programming of the application.
Job Profile
As a quality analyst, your job includes: » Evaluation of new, existing, or modified programs for their durability and relevance via documentations, diagrams, and graphs.
» Create and perform a series of tests to ensure the sturdiness of the program.
» Mandatory checks of the entire program to be done using software testing methodologies with detection and to report the presence of bugs, if any. » Visualize, write, revise, and verify quality analysis processes. » Examine and modify current procedures of testing quality to provide for efficient and economical programs.
» Recommend any improvements in the program to the programmers. » Checking the feasibility of any modification/improvements or additions suggested by the programmer to an existing application. » Test the programs rigorously and continuously to check for accuracy of results and confirming the
» Check if the overall aesthetic look and design of the software is good enough for the users.
» Analyze the software for user compatibility in terms of easy understanding and operation.
» Monitor overall development of the program application.
» Ensure that the software development cycle procedure has been strictly adhered to while creating an application.
Working Conditions
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a salaried quality analyst has to work on an average for 40 hours a week. However, due to deadlines, the working hours might change to accommodate a tight schedule. The organization, on its own discretion, may ask him/her to work on an onsite, or overseas location, which might require traveling.
Educational Qualifications
A degree related to the field of software development is a must for any person aspiring to be a quality analyst. A thorough knowledge of software development languages will be an added virtue. Also, a course in software testing will help the aspirant to gain a job with minimum efforts.
At the entry-level, a quality analyst may be required to simply check the existing applications on already-created testing modules.
After acquiring suitable experience, the prospects for a quality analyst are huge. The more experienced a quality analyst is, the more thoroughly he/she will check the functionality of an application and higher the price he/she can charge.
Skills
To be a successful quality analyst, there are certain skills, other than educational qualifications that are required to work in an organization.
» Good understanding and knowledge of ISO and government standards
» Well-versed with changes and developments in the software development world
» Understanding of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)
» Strong analytical and quantitative reasoning
» Leadership qualities and team management
» Effective communication skills
Remuneration Packages and Prospects
Every problem in the world is seeking a solution through the applications and programs created and developed by software programmers. This change has brought about an ever-increasing requirement of quality analysis of the solutions developed. The prospects for an aspirant looking for a job in this field have multiplied.
As a qualified and professional quality analyst, you can choose to either work in an organization or start your own venture by working on projects in collaboration with bigger and multinational organizations.
The salary and payments vary greatly and is generally established on the basis of roles and responsibilities of the job profile.
Some other factors that also affect the determination of the salary packages are the size of the software development organization, the size of the quality analyst's team, the nature of the application itself, and the nature and size of the end users.
Here is a table providing average salary paid to quality analysts in some states of the United States of America (an average in April 2020):
State and Remuneration
Alabama $63,000 Arizona $65,000 California $94,000 Florida $57,000 Georgia $56,000 Kansas $55,000 Massachusetts $85,000 Nevada $51,000 Ohio $51,000 Pennsylvania $65,000 Texas $62,000 Virginia $68,000 Washington $75,000
*Source: indeed.com
At the end of the day, the job is highly specialized and skill-based and requires more than just a fundamental knowledge of computers and software development languages. The description of this job makes it sound like a fairly simple task, but in reality, there are many more fine details in the job that make it a very elite field.