Key Vocabulary

• Quality Assurance (QA) — Systematic process to ensure software works reliably before reaching users (prevention-focused).
• Quality Control (QC) — Checking the product after development to find defects (detection-focused).
• Testing — Executing the software to verify it behaves as expected (activity within QC).
• Bug / Defect — Any deviation between expected and actual behavior.
• Regression — When a previously working feature breaks after a change.
• Shift Left — Moving quality activities earlier in the development cycle to prevent defects.