Your software application can only be as strong as the team that brings it to market. The strength of that team - or lack of - is shown based on the quality delivered to your consumers.
Often, a decrease in software quality is the result of a disconnect between teams, be it through recurring miscommunication or team silos. When software development and QA teams don’t collaborate, it impacts more than the quality of your product - consumer complaints surge as revenue declines.
This often happens when teams need a better support system that encourages cross-collaboration and team communication. That’s why many successful companies choose collaboration software applications designed to unite teams in the goal of deploying high quality to customers.
But, selecting a QA collaboration tool is not a straightforward process. Many questions must first be addressed before you can select a QA collaboration tool that’s right for your team. This guide aims to answer the most common questions that arise during this decision-making process, including:
Collaboration software applications are tools designed to support all collaboration needs during the software quality process, from test case management and defect tracking to document storage and communication programs. The purpose of a collaborative productivity application is to bring QA and software development teams together through a central location in order to share ideas, communicate clearly and reach team goals promptly and efficiently.
Not having a business collaboration platform in place can negatively impact your development cycle rather quickly. These are just some of the symptoms of not having collaboration application software in place - or an ineffective one:
Fortunately, collaboration software applications are intended to unite software and QA teams during the development cycle. Strong collaboration applications are intended to alleviate these challenges:
Process: Software and QA teams need a defined process that’s understood and practiced by all. With a QA collaboration tool, teams can create a well-structured process that leads to efficiency and predictability. Collaboration programs can also apply project estimators to predict defect rates and project time estimates for future development cycles.
Communication: Time is everything during the development cycle and shouldn’t be spent resolving issues about misunderstood requirements, missed deadlines and false status updates. A business collaboration platform provides a forum for all QA and software team members to communicate clearly and keep everyone informed at the same time, regardless of location or time zone. That way, both teams can coordinate efforts more effectively so that high-quality software is delivered on time and on budget.
Traceability: A robust reporting tool can alert project managers on resource needs, development roadblocks, and the pace of the project. Collaboration application software can provide accurate, real-time status reports so that decision-makers can act where necessary and project managers can reallocate tasks and mitigate risks. With instant access to these metrics, both teams are more empowered to take on more ownership of the project and reach defined goals.
Before reviewing your business collaboration platform options, first assess the needs of your organization alongside your budget and time for implementation. That way, your team can select the right collaboration software applications based on what’s best for your development cycle, your teams and your product. Consider these testing tips for collaboration applications as well as the following factors when assessing your collaboration application software options:
A software application that is considered a collaborative productivity application supports all communication and collaboration needs of your development cycle, from software development to QA analysis. Effective automation for collaboration applications can further streamline your workflow and maintain test data. We recommend that you consider these collaboration software applications when selecting a QA collaboration tool for your team:
Need help selecting a QA collaboration tool? Choose the right collaboration software applications for your team by partnering with a QA services provider like QASource. We are a tool agnostic organization with a team of testing experts offering extensive knowledge on a variety of test automation and executing QA collaboration best practices. Our experts can assist your team in choosing the right collaboration programs and offer team extension services for your development cycle. Get in touch with a QASource expert today.