Quality Assurance vs Software Testing: what is the difference?

It’s common to mix up Quality Assurance (QA) and Software Testing, or even think they’re the same thing. However, these two concepts have different goals and functions. This confusion happens for various reasons, including job title swaps among professionals. In many companies, software testers are referred to as QA Analysts. Additionally, many companies invest only in testing rather than in full-fledged QA practices, which gives the impression that QA is just about testing.

NextAge recognizes how essential both processes are for developing high-quality systems, and this is why we decided to put together this guide to clarify the differences between QA and Software Testing.

What Does QA Mean in IT?

QA stands for Quality Assurance. Its main focus is ensuring that a product meets and maintains the expected quality standards. Continuous monitoring is key, as QA ensures the integrity of products and services while making sure all predefined parameters are being followed. This makes it easier to identify issues throughout the entire software development lifecycle.

It is also important to consider the bigger picture. In IT, QA plays a decisive role in solving management pain points, such as project analysis, process adherence, and development techniques. QA influences the entire software development process, from pre-design phases to final release.

This highlights how important it is to incorporate QA into daily workflows and foster this mindset within the team.

What Is Software Testing?

Software Testing is the process of identifying potential bugs in a system to ensure the code written by developers functions as expected. Several methods are used to test software, detect errors, and confirm they are fixed. Testing also validates whether a system meets functional, compatibility, and design standards, among others.

In essence, testing aims to verify whether the current version of a system delivers the expected results based on the planning. One of its biggest advantages is that it provides a clear and objective way to map errors, helping developers pinpoint exactly where the issues are and how to fix them.

It’s also important to note that Software Testing focuses on identifying defects and weaknesses in existing systems—whether on a small scale or within a fully developed application.

The scalability of testing is closely linked to how tests are conducted: either manually or automated. According to the 2023 ISG Provider Lens™ Next-Gen ADM Services report for Brazil, Generative AI is being successfully applied in test automation, accelerating script creation and error detection, increasing productivity and efficiency.

QA vs. Software Testing: What’s the Difference?

Software testing is ideal for identifying and fixing pre-existing errors, while QA helps prevent them. These two processes complement each other and are essential for maximizing system quality.

QA focuses on ensuring that project stakeholders are satisfied with the design, whereas testing is limited to fixing bugs. Testing is about controlling the system through corrective actions focused on the product. In other words, testing checks whether the application meets predefined standards, while QA is about continuously improving quality over time.

QA includes the testing phase to ensure that an application is running flawlessly and within the defined context. Testing, on the other hand, is more specific, focusing on evaluation, implementation, and case studies. QA stands for Quality Assurance, and quality cannot be tested—only measured. Therefore, QA optimizes processes to ensure that a given project achieves the expected level of quality.

As seen, measuring quality often involves manual testing, which can be time-consuming and prone to human error, affecting the reliability of results. In an era of constant technological innovation, automated testing is becoming an increasing necessity, driving greater efficiency.

The bottom line? Testing is important, but it is just one step in a solid QA strategy, which involves processes, parameters, tools, and more.

Why Is Test Automation Important?

Automated software testing is essential for scalability and efficiency in development, as well as for enhancing QA processes. Even though 71% of Brazilian organizations consider continuous testing essential or important, only 22% have fully automated their testing processes. This was the main conclusion of the CA Technologies study (2017) on continuous testing adoption in software delivery.

Key benefits of test automation:

✅ Faster testing cycles, allowing for simultaneous test execution and continuous delivery (CI/CD).

✅ Cost reduction, preventing rework and saving resources.

✅ Broader test coverage, including regression testing to ensure new features don’t break existing code.

✅ Greater reliability and precision, minimizing human error and ensuring consistent results.

Investing in test automation offers strategic advantages for any tech team—especially given the fast pace of technological evolution and the constant demand for high-quality software. The focus on Quality Assurance (QA) is stronger than ever as companies strive to release products quickly without compromising the user experience. Get to know us.