What does quality assurance in software include?

Quality assurance in software encompasses a comprehensive approach to ensuring that the quality requirements of a product are met throughout its development lifecycle. This involves a variety of planned and systematic activities aimed at evaluating and improving processes to achieve desired quality outcomes. It creates a framework within which quality can be maintained, encompassing processes such as documentation reviews, design reviews, development practices, and testing procedures.

Ensuring quality requirements will be met is a proactive measure, emphasizing that quality assurance is not just about finding defects but also about preventing them from occurring in the first place. By focusing on establishing consistent processes and standards, quality assurance ultimately improves the reliability and performance of the software product before it reaches the testing phase or is delivered to users.

In contrast, some of the other choices depict narrower aspects or misinterpretations of quality assurance. For example, testing only after development is complete is more aligned with quality control rather than assurance, as it does not involve proactive quality measures throughout the process. Eliminating all defects in the software is an unrealistic goal since it is usually impossible to completely eradicate all defects. Lastly, focusing solely on user feedback limits the broader scope of quality assurance, which includes multiple stakeholder inputs and systematic assessments rather than just reactions post-release.