Overview

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In this foundational course, you will build a robust understanding of software quality assurance and the critical role testing plays within the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Designed for learners with basic digital literacy, this course bridges the gap between how software is conceptualized and how it is verified for real-world reliability. You will explore the fundamental differences between Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC), and testing while learning to map these activities to different layers of web applications. You will gain hands-on experience using industry frameworks like Waterfall, V-Model, and Agile, and learn to distinguish between static and dynamic testing techniques, sequence essential STLC phases, and integrate quality checks into Scrum sprints. By course end, you will define acceptance criteria and demonstrate tests within your own Atlassian Jira workspace. Tools such as Jira Cloud (Free Tier), Microsoft Azure DevOps (free Microsoft account), and standard Office tools (Excel/Word, free web versions using Microsoft Outlook account) are used throughout.

Syllabus

QA Foundations: Distinguish Roles and Principles

Explore the core philosophy of software testing, learn the seven fundamental principles that guide QA professionals, and clarify the distinct responsibilities between QA, QC, and UAT.

QA Foundations: Map Testing to Web Layers

Look under the hood of modern web applications to understand how data flows across different layers, and learn how to align your testing strategies with front-end, back-end, and database architectures using a mock application.

Static vs Dynamic and Test Levels

Dive into the core methodologies of testing by comparing static reviews with dynamic execution, and explore the four primary levels of testing used to validate software from code to customer.

Test Types and STLC

Understand the difference between testing what the software does (functional) and how well it does it (non-functional) by executing real tests on a mock app, and map these to the Software Testing Life Cycle.

Environments

Testing in the wrong environment can lead to false positives or disastrous production outages. Learn how to navigate and select the correct environments—from Development to Test to Staging—for your testing activities.

Static vs. Dynamic and Test Levels

Explore the foundational, sequential models of software development. Learn how testing fits into the rigid phases of Waterfall and how the V-Model attempts to integrate testing earlier in the lifecycle.

Agile, CI/CD, and Test Mapping

Transition from traditional models to the fast-paced world of Agile and CI/CD. Learn how continuous development drastically shifts the tester's role from a final gatekeeper to an integrated team collaborator.

Scrum Testing: Acceptance Tests and DoD

Discover how to shift testing left by defining what "Done" actually means. You will write Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) criteria for a user story, then immediately apply those criteria by executing a manual test on a mock app.

Scrum Testing: Demos and Sprint Reviews

Learn how to effectively communicate software quality to business stakeholders. You will practice preparing and executing demonstrations of passing (and failing) tests during the critical Sprint Review ceremony.

Project Module: QA Methodology & Scrum Planning

Synthesize your foundational QA knowledge by developing a comprehensive test strategy and Agile test plan for a new web feature. You will establish QA processes, define test coverage, write Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) criteria, and execute a live test against a mock application containing known defects to prove sprint readiness.