Software Quality Assurance – The Underdog of the Industry

Key Takeaways

• Why Am I Writing This – Sharing my perspective as an SQA professional.
• Perceptions vs. Reality – What people think testing is, and what it truly involves.
• The Cost of Neglecting SQA – Real-world failures caused by skipping proper testing.
• Quality as a Mindset – Why quality must be a shared responsibility.
• Final Thoughts – Why SQA is an investment, not an expense.

Why Am I Writing This? 

So, being a Software Quality Analyst for the past 3.5 years at Phaedra Solutions, I have seen and heard many times that most clients and people think of software testing as an extra element of the whole SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle).

Here’s what I’ve observed:

• Many still see testing as an “extra” rather than a core part of the process.
  
• Some even neglect it entirely before releasing a product to the market.
  
• Products often crash or fail quickly when testing is skipped.
  
• Even when testing is done, it’s taken lightly and rarely appreciated.
  
• Testers themselves are often placed at the very bottom of the ladder.

One of the main reasons (and my primary passion behind writing this) is to change this mindset and highlight the true importance of software testing.

What People think of SQA vs. What SQA really is

Over the course of my career, I’ve noticed a common misconception. People drastically underestimate the effort and skill required in software testing. 

Many think it’s just about:

• Clicking a few buttons to check if something works
• Sending an API request to see if a “200 OK” pops up
• Logging bugs in an Excel sheet

Yes, those tasks exist, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg. The bigger picture of SQA is rarely seen or appreciated.

Software testing is a discipline that demands analytical thinking, creativity, and an almost obsessive attention to detail. 

It’s about anticipating problems before they exist, challenging assumptions others take for granted, and simulating the unpredictable ways real users will interact with the product.

If developers are the architects of a building, testers are the structural engineers (the ones making sure it won’t collapse the moment someone steps inside). 

And yet, despite this critical role, testing is still treated as an afterthought in many organizations.

Now, I’ll admit something important: testers are human too. 

Mistakes happen. If something slips through and breaks, testers are often the first to face the blame.

I’ve accepted this as part of the package of being a tester. It pushes me to learn from every oversight. 

But here’s the truth: success should belong to the whole team, and so should failure. If a project launches flawlessly, it’s a team win. If it stumbles, it should be a shared responsibility, not a finger-pointing session.

The Cost of Neglecting SQA

In 2008, London’s Heathrow Airport opened its highly anticipated Terminal 5, supported by a new enterprise-level baggage handling system. 

The system had been in development for years and cost hundreds of millions of pounds, but testing was rushed to meet the grand opening date.

On day one, the software controlling the baggage system failed to handle the real-world load. (2)

Bags piled up, flights were delayed or cancelled, and over 42,000 bags had to be manually processed. The PR disaster was so bad it made international headlines, and it took months (and millions more in fixes) to stabilize the system.

The cause? Incomplete end-to-end testing under realistic operational conditions. 

The system worked fine in controlled lab environments, but failed in the chaos of actual airport operations.

And here’s the crucial point: this wasn’t just a technical failure, it was a time failure. 

Testers weren’t given enough time to validate the system in real-world scenarios. When testing is squeezed to meet deadlines, you’re not removing risk, you’re simply transferring it from the test phase to the live environment, where the cost of failure is exponentially higher.

The takeaway: Enterprise systems are only as good as the testing behind them. 

If you don’t simulate real-world conditions before launch, the real world will do the testing for you, and the results will be public.

Quality As A Mindset

The caretaker of quality may be the software tester, but quality itself doesn’t begin in the testing phase. It starts at the very top. 

Quality is not just a set of actions. It’s a mindset. 

This mindset must be shared by everyone involved in a project (developers, project managers, designers, and every other role). 

If the whole team isn’t aligned, true quality can’t be delivered.

I once read about a janitor at NASA who, when asked what he did for a living, answered, “I help put people on Mars.” 

That’s the mindset we’re talking about. When you believe your work is part of something important and valuable, you naturally hold it to a higher standard.

Here at Phaedra Solutions, we embrace that philosophy. From top to bottom, everyone is aligned on the principle that quality is non-negotiable. 

We approach our work with the same seriousness and commitment as our clients, because their mission becomes our mission.

“Quality isn’t a phase in the project, it’s the DNA of the team.” 

Final Thoughts

Software Quality Assurance isn’t just about catching bugs. It’s about protecting your product, your reputation, and your future. 

Yet too often, it’s treated as a cost to be minimized rather than an investment to be maximized.

Think of SQA like investing in a high-potential stock. The earlier you put in the time, resources, and attention, the greater the return you’ll see in the long run. 

The alternative? Skipping that investment now and paying many times more when a preventable issue damages your product in the wild.

The goal isn’t to make SQA look important, it already is. 

The goal is for everyone in the industry to recognize it, respect it, and prioritize it as a fundamental pillar of any successful project.

If you’re building something worth releasing, it’s worth testing right. Quality isn’t an expense. It’s your most valuable asset.

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