In the IT industry, you should be aware that the market values products based on their quality. The product creates the company’s brand image in the marketplace. A well-designed product might attract more potential buyers than your employed marketing strategies; in other words, if a product is worthwhile, it will promote itself.

Quality Assurance, or QA, refers to the testing procedure used to guarantee that customers receive high-quality software products and services that are free of errors and bugs. The main objective of the quality assurance method is to enhance the software development process and make it effective and efficient. The PDCA cycle (which stands for Plan, Do, Check and Act) defines the quality assurance process. 

What is a QA analyst?

It’s imperative for a QA analyst to possess good skills in programming languages, software development tools, software testing tools, and troubleshooting. All products and software must be tested before being released on the market. They evaluate the functionality of the software product and search for any bugs or issues.

The primary duty of the QA analyst is to evaluate whether the software developed, with the use of various software testing tools, meets the necessary quality standards. Therefore, they are in charge of the testing phase of the development of any software product. In sum, their role is vital to any organisation because the company’s ability to succeed depends on the quality of the products or services they offer.

Professional QA analysts must do a variety of tasks for an organisation. They may also work in customer service, manufacturing for the company, or software development. They oversee creating and carrying out plans for testing the products, producing reports on the product’s quality and the necessary adjustments to attain the target quality, identifying procedures for the quality control of products and keeping track of customer reviews while notifying the development teams when any product modifications are required.

Qualities of a QA analyst

Any QA analyst must have great problem-solving abilities and pay close attention to detail. Workers in quality assurance could overlook mistakes that cause problems with the finished products if they lack a keen eye for detail. But those are not the only qualities that also prove useful in this line of work. These are some of the top soft skills a QA analyst should have: communication, teamwork, writing, planning, troubleshooting, organisation, and research.

Identifying some of your natural talents in the list above suggests you could succeed in this sector of work. However, this position also calls for a certain set of specialised technical abilities. A true quality assurance expert must have domain knowledge and awareness of various technologies, frameworks, and libraries. Combine those soft talents with these in-demand technical skills to ensure that you have everything a quality assurance professional could possibly need: Quality assurance and control, Selenium, SQL, Java, Software development, Software testing, Atlassian JIRA, Automated testing, Python, Scrum.

Why choose a career as a QA analyst?

A career as a QA analyst may be the right one if you: are meticulous and accurate, aren’t hesitant to criticise the work of others, have strong communication skills, are interested in tech, and love problem-solving. And the list of advantages goes on and on. You will have many work possibilities in this industry if you complete QA Analyst related studies, including those as a software tester, software developer, business analyst, and more. Depending on your interests and skills, you can select any of the QA roles that best suit you.

Jobs for QA analysts are in high demand, in short supply, and are estimated to grow in demand as the tech sector continues to expand. As we have covered, a company’s ability to succeed is mostly dependent on the quality of the products they produce, and a QA analyst will check or test a product’s quality. Therefore, it is a highly necessary position, and practically every organisation wants a QA analyst that can evaluate a product’s quality and make improvements. For aspiring QA analysts, this is a perfect combination of advantages. You can choose from many intriguing businesses and technologies to work with as a QA analyst.

The level of expertise and competence required for a QA analyst—or for any other role—determines their pay. However, this position pays well. As you might’ve guessed, a career that’s high in demand and low in supply comes with a good salary. In Spain, the average QA analyst makes around 38.800 EUR yearly. The more experience you gain, the higher your compensation will go.

You have the option to pursue a career in quality assurance. The only thing that counts is whether you’re interested in trying out the products and evaluating their quality. If you think this could be the right choice for you, take a look at our careers page and stay on the lookout for opportunities.