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Quality Assurance: Achieving Quality through Domain Knowledge
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By [x]cube LABS
Published: Mar 27 2015
In the whole Star Wars series, Master Yoda is the most respected character and he is the expert whom everyone approaches for advice. Why? It is because he has mastered the “Force” around him. In other words, he has “Domain Knowledge”.
Though many start-up companies come into existence every year, only few sustain and survive the test of time. So, what is it that makes them stand apart from the rest? The reasons may differ from one company to another. But the common reasons for their survival include understanding of their customers’ needs and knowledge over the domain in which they are operating. And that is the power of having “Domain Knowledge”.
When one applies this concept to Quality Assurance in a project or application, the individual involved in the Quality Process needs to be equipped with Domain Knowledge. A tester who has domain knowledge about the functionality, the component or the module can perform the testing process effectively and also with ease.
Identifying bugs gets easy
Domain Knowledge is not only limited to the type of the application, but also to the environment it is built on, and the technology used for development. Consider an application being built in Java environment using SQL server as backend database. A tester who has some knowledge in Java or SQL may identify the bugs much more effectively – like testing for database related issues or performing white box testing, for example.
To have knowledge about the domain does not effectively mean that the knowledge is gained from the Requirement Documents, Testing Methodologies and Strategies implemented or regular KT sessions. Such knowledge may be helpful in achieving better quality but to deliver a product with the best quality requires the individual to understand the domain in which the application will be used and is being developed.
For example, an individual who has knowledge about the Healthcare domain may understand the requirements of a health application with respect to the terminology, process and health standards with ease and execute testing much more effectively when compared to the individual who has limited domain knowledge in that specific area.
Knowledge is wealth
This stands true in enhancing Quality Assurance as well. Domain Knowledge not only helps in achieving best quality for the application but also helps the individual in terms of career growth. It helps in achieving recognition in the organization, and in increasing the scope of one’s abilities to go beyond testing. He may exploit opportunities in Consulting, Business Analysis, etc., thus becoming a critical resource for the Project and also for the organization.
(About the Author: Bhargava Yellamraju works as Senior QA Engineer at [x]cubeLABS. He as 5 years of experience in Mobile, Web Application and Security Testing and has built significant expertise in various domains like Health Care, Finance, Banking and Procurement.)
Tags: Quality Assurance
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