Why is a Quality Assurance Tester Needed on a Software Development Team in 2025?

With more businesses realizing digital transformation every year, it’s important to ensure that every solution or product you build is flawless, secure, and bug-free. This is where investing in hiring a dedicated quality assurance (QA) tester in your development team can prove to be beneficial.

Why is a Quality assurance tester needed on a software development team?

Many business owners have this question when they opt for our IT staffing services. While we provide you with the right software development team that fills essential skill gaps and becomes a seamless extension of your in-house workforce, we also believe that an experienced quality assurance tester should be a part of that team.

The reason?

Quality assurance plays a crucial role in the overall process of software development and the success of a digital product. From lowering costs to improving software quality, the benefits are endless.

In this blog, we’ll discuss why is a quality assurance tester needed on a software development team in 2025, especially in the age of AI.

What is Quality Assurance in Software Testing?

Quality assurance refers to the planned and systematic set of activities to ensure software meets expectations. It focuses on building quality in the development process.

The main goal of QA testing is identifying defects early and validating that requirements are met before software gets released. QA analysts thoroughly test all features and user interactions using methods like functional testing, usability testing, compatibility testing, and more.

By running these tests, QA helps catch bugs, gaps, and inconsistencies in software. Their reports enable developers to fix issues promptly. This leads to higher-quality code with smoother user experiences.

Beyond just finding bugs though, QA also verifies critical aspects like security, speed, and reliability to ensure software works dependably well. Applying quality assurance processes at each stage helps build more robust apps.

Role of a Quality Assurance Tester

Quality assurance (QA) testers act as the voice of end-users during software creation. Rather than building features, they thoroughly test that the software works as intended.

QA analysts create detailed test plans that explore all possible usage scenarios. They install the latest app builds and methodically check all functions and UI flows from real user perspectives. When issues inevitably occur, testers log clear bug reports to help developers squash bugs quickly.

This proactive testing saves money by catching coding defects early. Finding issues pre-release increases software quality and prevents post-launch headaches. Beyond functional checks, QA also runs non-functional tests for security, speed, and reliability. Their oversight across critical parameters is indispensable for smooth functioning apps.

Must-Have Technical Skills for a QA Tester

• Mastering the latest QA methodologies – QA testers optimize unique flows for web, mobile, cloud, and AI apps using evolving frameworks like shift-left testing, BDD, and cross-browser testing. Updating testing know-how prepares them to handle apps growing in complexity.
• Writing clean test cases – They author test suites and scripts that check business requirements and serve as living documentation. Clear test plans improve collaboration and enable reusability across sprints.
• Automation expertise – Coding fluency in Selenium, Appium, and REST Assured allows testers to write reliable test scripts that prevent regression defects. Automation amplifies testing coverage and speeds.
• Analytics mastery – Parsing test, usage, and bug data using SQL skills provides insight into enhancing QA strategies. Analytical testers continually improve processes.
• Communication skills – Conveying feedback tactfully, filing precise bug reports, and liaising between teams to enable smooth releases. Articulate testers collaborate excellently.

Why is a Quality assurance Tester Needed on a Software Development Team?

Quick Bug Detection & Prevention

Quality assurance (QA) testers act like an error alarm on a software team. They methodically test apps to uncover bugs – from minor glitches to major crashes. By finding issues early, QA testers prevent small problems from becoming huge headaches down the road.

It’s like having an extra proofreader for your code. QA testers double-check that all features work properly. When bugs inevitably crop up, testers help pinpoint the root causes. Their bug reports serve as a blueprint for developers to squash errors before launch. This safety net allows teams to ship higher-quality software faster.

Performance Optimization & Feature Addition

QA testers analyze speeds and response times across an entire application. If certain features drag, testers run performance checks to diagnose lags.

Their findings help developers optimize slow areas – accelerating load times and improving overall speeds. Faster apps lead to happy users!

Beyond speeds, QA teams also run benchmark tests as new features get added. They verify that the existing functionality still works properly. This careful testing provides confidence to keep enhancing apps over time.

Improved Data Security & Privacy

With data breaches on the rise, ensuring privacy is no longer optional. QA testers act as guardians of user data. They stage hacking simulations to probe apps for vulnerabilities. By exposing weak spots early, testers enable teams to patch security vulnerabilities.

Testers also verify proper protocols are in place around sensitive data collection and encryption. This checks that user data stays protected and private.

Read More: How to Ensure Security of Mobile Apps

Flawless, Intuitive User Experiences

QA analysts approach apps as regular users would. They search for confusing interfaces or uneven navigation flows that hamper experiences.

With an outsider’s lens, testers identify usability pain points that developers might overlook. Flagging these UX snags enables smoother, more intuitive apps for everyone.

Read More: UI/UX Impact on Mobile App Success

Better Compliance with Software Quality Standards

Most industries now uphold quality benchmarks that software must meet. QA specialists run compliance audits at each stage of development. They confirm that apps adhere to relevant regulations and protocols.

Staying compliant builds professional trust with users. It also avoids messy situations down the line. QA oversight provides continual guidance to meet official quality metrics.

Read More: Agile Project Management and Cubix’ Approach to Software Development

Continuous Improvement, Integration & Development

QA testers go beyond basic quality checks. They also offer constructive feedback for developers about how apps are shaping up. This allows teams to learn from past missteps and level up their skills.

Moreover, test automation scripts lower maintenance costs of quality over time. The resulting gains in speed, accuracy, and efficiency compound as apps scale.

Massive Cost Savings & High-Quality Delivery

QA testers massively reduce costs by preventing issues pre-launch. Finding bugs early enables you to provide flawless, consistently brilliant user experiences.

Thorough QA also enables teams to deliver faster – capitalizing on trends at the optimal moment. The combined time and money savings enable small teams to deliver serious results.

Cross-Device Compatibility

With 18+ billion mobile devices projected by 2025, applications must work flawlessly across endless configurations. QA testers put apps through their paces on diverse hardware and platforms during development. This wide compatibility enables flawless experiences for all users.

By uniting these testing insights, QA analysts empower lean teams to drive better quality and simplicity. Their oversight moves projects beyond minimally viable into high reliability and polish. The bottom line is that testers allow good teams to deliver extraordinary work.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Quality Assurance Tester?

Hiring a full-time quality assurance (QA) tester in the United States costs between $65,000 to $90,000 annually. This includes their salary and employee benefits. The cost varies based on location, company size, industry, and tester’s skill level.

Outsourced QA services from an agency generally range from $50 to $100 per hour globally. For context, hiring a single in-house tester may cost a firm around $5,000 per month when accounting for employment taxes, hardware, tools, and overhead. The investment pays dividends through enhanced product quality and reduced software errors.

QA Testing Trends in 2025 and Beyond

1. Self-Healing Test Automation

Manual upkeep of test scripts is time-consuming. Self-healing frameworks detect and auto-fix broken tests. When UI elements get tweaked, these smart systems self-update test locators and scripts. Some even generate their own test data instead of needing real assets.

Powered by AI, self-healing automation carries out routine script maintenance tasks like version upgrades. This liberates testers from dull upkeep and allows them to focus on high-value exploratory testing. As apps grow more complex, self-fixing tests will help future-proof test suites.

Read More: How To Use AI in Software Quality Assurance?

2. Low-Code Software Testing

Coding test scripts requires advanced programming know-how. Low-code platforms enable intuitive test creation using simple drag-and-drop interfaces. High usability empowers non-developers and manual testers to build automated checks through GUI models.

Low-code tools facilitate test management by business users with no scripting needed. Higher team accessibility leads to greater tester productivity. As low-code usage spreads, more tests get embedded earlier into delivery pipelines.

3. DevSecOps, SAST & DAST

Rising data breaches make security assessments essential for QA teams. DevSecOps infuses checks into CI/CD to uncover risks before launch. 

SAST (Static Application Security Testing) and DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) help analyze code and probe running apps to uncover common vulnerabilities early on.

4. Ethical AI Testing

As AI grows prevalent, ethical testing governs its transparency and impartiality. Evaluations spot algorithmic biases that skew outputs. Comprehensive audits analyze if AI analytics produce fair, representative, and compliant results devoid of discrimination.

Additional dimensions assess model robustness against bad data, adversarial attacks, or drift. By testing AI quality across critical parameters, testers safeguard companies and users against unethical AI risks.

Read More: AI in QA – AI’s Real Impact on Software Testing

5. Chaos Engineering

Modern systems must maintain resilience against turbulent conditions. Chaos testing assesses reliability by attacking infrastructure deliberately. Tests disable network links, throttle resources or reboot servers mid-traffic and monitor recovery.

These chaotic simulations uncover hidden weaknesses and prevent real-world failures. Testing teams now launch controlled attacks via chaos engineering toolkits tailored to cloud environments. As systems get intricate, proactive chaos tests drive uptime and fault tolerance.

Final Thoughts

So, we hope you now understand why is a quality assurance tester needed on a software development team. 

When you recruit the right software developers and testers in your team, you’ll be able to build higher-quality digital products. Both these roles are crucial in a software development lifecycle. Ensuring better transparency and collaboration between development and testing teams can help ensure rapid, high-quality software delivery.

Cubix provides you with the development and QA testing talent you need to power your in-house teams and build software that drives profitability for your business.

Contact our representatives and we’ll see how we can help you with your IT staffing needs.