What is a reasonable way to control and minimize the cost of testing and development?

Question

Options

• AConduct formal reviews to detect defects as early as possible.
• BPerform a usability analysis prior to user interface design.
• CAutomate error detection at the beginning of acceptance testing.
• DHire low-cost, outsourced testing staff for system testing.

• A
  93% (26)
• B
  4% (1)
• C
  4% (1)

Explanation

Formal reviews catch defects early, when they are cheapest to fix. The cost to fix a defect grows exponentially the later it is discovered - a bug found in requirements review costs a fraction of what it costs to fix after deployment. Conducting formal reviews (walkthroughs, inspections) at each phase is the foundational principle of cost-effective quality management.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B - Usability analysis before UI design is good practice, but it targets one specific artifact and doesn't broadly minimize testing/development costs across the project.
• C - Automating error detection at acceptance testing is too late; acceptance testing is near the end of the lifecycle, so defects found there are already expensive. The right time to automate detection is earlier.
• D - Low-cost outsourced staff may reduce labor rates but introduces communication overhead, knowledge gaps, and quality risks that often increase total costs.

Memory tip: Think "shift left" - the earlier you find a defect, the cheaper it is. Option A is the only choice that explicitly moves defect detection to the earliest possible point in the process, which is the core principle behind minimizing testing and development costs.

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