How can software quality assurance adapt to changing business needs in IT Consulting?

Die Einführung von Agilit?t kann eine Antwort auf diese Frage sein. Allerdings ist zum Erfolg ein ganzheitlich agiler Ansatz erforderlich. Agile Methoden nur in einzelnen IT-QA-Teams einzuführen ist aus unserer Erfahrung in Kundenprojekten nicht zielführend, weil so kein gemeinsames Verst?ndnis für die Arbeitsweise erzeugt werden kann.

Most consultants these days would be expected to have a solid understanding and experience with Agile methodologies. I think the biggest challenge now, is not with convincing businesses to adopt Agile. The biggest challenge now is to helping clients understand how to actually use Agile properly, as there are a lot of teams who think they are doing Agile but are only doing 'half Agile' or 'the Agile that I think suits me'. The challenge now is to promote an understanding of the importance of using ALL of Agile and using it properly, not just cherry picking the aspects of the methodology which seem easiest, or suit the decision maker in that team.

Ein agiler Mindset in der IT Beratung bezieht sich auch heute noch auf das #AgilesManifest in dem ein Grundsatz lautet: "Individuen und Interaktionen werden mehr gesch?tzt als Prozesse und Werkzeuge". Insofern stehen Automatisierungstools in der IT-Beratung auch heute noch nicht als Antwort auf sich ver?ndernde Gesch?ftsanforderungen an erster Stelle. Automatisierungstools müssen sinnvoll und zielgerichtet in der #QA für Software eingesetzt werden und den Teams und deren Zielsetzung dienen.

Software Quality Assurance (SQA) in an IT consulting context must be flexible and adaptable to changing business needs to ensure project success. It has been seen that test automation can help ensure software quality even in the context of rapid changes. Using automation tools and frameworks, you can run tests quickly and repeatably, allowing your team to spot any quality issues in a timely manner. Furthermore, integrating development and operations (DevOps) practices allows you to automate software distribution and release processes, reducing the risk of human errors and ensuring greater reliability of software in production.

I actually do not think that QA consultants should be promoting automation for every business situation. Automation takes a lot more time and resources to set up, and needs to be maintained and modified. The tool itself can have disadvantages as well as advantages, and to be honest, automation can become a money sucking black hole if you are not being careful in tool selection and also selection of appropriate items to automate. Having said that, automation definitely has an important role to play in ensuring software is functional and robust. Automation can be particularly valuable in regression testing prior to new releases, and regular monitoring of general performance and functionality.

Absolutely. Though part of a consultants skill set needs to be the ability to analyse all of the new 'stuff' and determine what is most valuable. There are also a lot of new acronym's and buzzwords that op up all the time, and sometimes it cracks me up how some of them are just new terms for good old fashioned common sense, or for technologies that have actually been around for years already! As a consultant you need to be able to able to cut through all the hype to determine what is most likely to be useful and cost effective for your client. And then be able to understand not just the new tech, but the best way for your client to utilise it for their own business objectives and way of working.

This is the section where the 750 character limit to answer this question is going to hamstring me. I have a LOT to say about this, please pm me if you want to ask me more about this! The most perfectly built system, is absolutely useless if it does not help people do their job better, more efficiently, in a way that adds more value to the organisation and makes the actual job the person is doing (from CSR to CEO) more satisfying, robust and sensible to the person actually doing that job. This is why a good QA professional will be hamstrung if brought in at the end. A good tester is also a business analyst and needs to talk to the people who will use the software they test. We need to test the software to make sure it works for YOU.

Embracing change and innovation, I think, is not just about me embracing change and innovation. It is about how I can ensure the people in the organisation I am working with (whether as a tester or a ba) embrace, or at least are willing to accept change. As a QA consultant I often have a unique opportunity to engage with stakeholders and end users and find out what their real reasons for resistance to change are, and offer them reassurance that I have not only heard their concerns but will be actively incorporating those concerns into my testing. If they HAVE to do something a certain way on a certain day it is my job to ensure the new system is a support to that, not a threat. I love this aspect of my work.

My experience has shown that integrating agile methodologies into QA processes allows for more flexibility and responsiveness to evolving project requirements. This approach supports continuous testing and feedback, enabling adjustments to be made in real-time. One thing I've found helpful is fostering a culture of continuous learning within QA teams, encouraging them to stay updated with the latest testing tools and practices. A mistake to avoid is sticking rigidly to traditional QA methods without considering their relevance to current project demands. Ignoring advancements in automated testing tools or new QA methodologies can lead to inefficiencies and a failure to catch critical issues early in the development cycle.

Bei den @QualityMinds setzen wir auf Erfahrung und Praxis. Gute #Qualit?tssicherung in der #Softwareentwicklung erfordert Kompetenz vom Requirementsengineering über die Entwicklung bis hin zur Absicherung von KI. Ein wesentlicher Ansatz ist deshalb ganzheitlich und umfassend ganz im Sinne von "Quality Is Everyones Responsibility" (W. Edward Deming)"

Here's a concise version: 1. Embrace Agile and DevOps. 2. Adapt processes quickly. 3. Foster collaboration. 4. Stay updated with industry trends. 5. Automate testing. 6. Prioritize based on risks. 7. Focus on customer needs. These steps help QA in IT consulting stay agile and aligned with changing business requirements.

Here's a concise version: 1. Embrace Agile and DevOps. 2. Adapt processes quickly. 3. Foster collaboration. 4. Stay updated with industry trends. 5. Automate testing. 6. Prioritize based on risks. 7. Focus on customer needs. These steps help QA in IT consulting stay agile and aligned with changing business requirements.

Here's a concise version: 1. Embrace Agile and DevOps. 2. Adapt processes quickly. 3. Foster collaboration. 4. Stay updated with industry trends. 5. Automate testing. 6. Prioritize based on risks. 7. Focus on customer needs. These steps help QA in IT consulting stay agile and aligned with changing business requirements.

Here's a concise version: 1. Embrace Agile and DevOps. 2. Adapt processes quickly. 3. Foster collaboration. 4. Stay updated with industry trends. 5. Automate testing. 6. Prioritize based on risks. 7. Focus on customer needs. These steps help QA in IT consulting stay agile and aligned with changing business requirements.