Around 8% of startups fail due to operational and technology failures. These startups could have easily survived, if only they had an effective software testing strategy in place.

1. 10 steps for effective Quality Assurance and software
testing process for startups
Around 8% of startups fail due to operational and technology failures. These startups
could have easily survived, if only they had an effective software testing strategy in
place.
Here, we have designed a 10-step process to run an efficient Quality Assurance in
software testing:
STEP-1: Draft a Quality Assurance strategy
Leaving software testing towards the end can dampen your product development efforts.
You need to adopt Quality Assurance into your organizational culture and ensure it is
applied at various touch points across your product development and customer success
cycle. Strategize where you need exploratory testing, feedback loops, process design
QA, etc.

2. STEP-2: Document SOP for software testing
Software testing procedures should be well-planned, established, and documented.
Good documentation fosters effective communication within the development team
about the Quality Assurance strategies adopted, expectations, and assigned
responsibilities.
STEP-3: Document SOP for formal technical reviews
A formal technical review (FTR) is a group meeting used by software engineers to detect
functional and logical flaws early in the software development process. In this meeting,
attendees with specific responsibilities confirm that generated software fulfills
predetermined quality assurance standards and specifications. The perfect time to
perform an FTR is when you have a mature product.
STEP-4: Use test-driven software development management
Implementing test-oriented management practices is an effective strategy to improve
software quality assurance. One technique is to use extreme programming (XP) - a
software development process that builds high-quality software that can adapt to
changing needs.
STEP-5: Design user personas for user acceptance testing
User personas are fictitious figures used in product development who embody the
behaviors and aspirations of your product's target audience. Pre-define these personas
so that software testing teams can use them to choose where and how to look for
potential bugs.
STEP-6: Strategize for automation testing
Using automated testing or automation tools to execute the tests will speed your product
development. Conduct trials and budgeting for relevant software tools as per your
software testing strategy.
STEP-7: Design SOP for exploratory testing
Using exploratory testing, one can examine a product without any preset test cases to
determine how it truly works. The test is conducted right away, where the expertise,
intuition, and imagination from testers are used to find bugs. Developing SOPs can help
you gather and analyze insights to identify potential issues and develop the next round
of tests.
STEP-8: Define code quality measurements
Quantifying quality targets will help you monitor and determine the ROI. While there is
no single correct technique to assess code quality, designing KPIs to meet quality
assurance standards is a recommended technique that is straightforward and effective.

3. STEP-9: Understand how to make the most of your test management
software
Test management software systems assist software testing teams in structuring and
managing the testing process. These systems can be connected with your test
automation frameworks, continuous integration/continuous delivery tools, bug tracking
tools, and other software solutions. Leveraging these tools will help you streamline your
QA process.
STEP-10: Effectively report bugs
A solid bug report will aid in the efficiency of software testing by clearly describing the
problem and directing engineers toward its resolution. It must be a foundational and
effective method of communication between a QA professional and a developer.
Following these 10 steps will provide you with a headstart to design your internal
software testing process. You can customize these steps as per the nature of your
product and business requirements.