Software Quality Assurance Practice Exam

Which approach focuses on reducing defects by improving the process by which software is developed?

1. Quality assurance

2. Quality control

3. Static analysis

4. Dynamic testing

The correct answer is: Quality assurance

The focus of the approach that aims to reduce defects by enhancing the software development process is quality assurance. This methodology emphasizes establishing and maintaining all aspects of the processes involved in software development, from requirements gathering to design, coding, testing, and maintenance. It involves setting standards and procedures that govern the entire development lifecycle, thereby preventing defects from occurring in the first place rather than just identifying and rectifying them after they have occurred. Quality assurance is proactive, aimed at improving processes and ensuring that they are followed, which ultimately leads to higher quality products. This can involve conducting audits, assessments, and process evaluations to ensure that best practices are implemented and adhered to, thus fostering continuous improvement. In contrast, quality control is more focused on the actual product and involves activities aimed at identifying defects in the final product through testing and evaluation, rather than improving the processes used to create the product. Static analysis refers to examining code without executing it to find vulnerabilities or errors, while dynamic testing involves executing the code to find defects during runtime. Both of these focus primarily on detecting issues rather than on the enhancement of the software development process itself.