How can you continuously improve your approach to Quality?

For those of us in the technology realm, Quality Assurance (QA) is a hot topic.? Rightly so, there’s a growing trend with those who ‘get it’ for it to be wholly integrated into the Software Delivery Lifecycle (SDLC), but it can sometimes be met with some resistance.

Organisations that are looking at their Quality Assurance maturity and effectiveness can struggle with benchmarking themselves against industry best practices. Gauging the efficiency of the delivery teams and measuring the output against Quality principles can be a difficult task.

At Roq, we view Quality Assurance as part of a broader Quality Engineering Ecosystem, facilitating the integration of quality throughout the project shaping, software development, deployment processes and the ongoing evolution of the solution. When it comes to the transition from testing to Quality Engineering, we advocate embracing a holistic approach.? It's about considering all aspects of a product or solution from the outset through to the value realised by end-users.

In this context, integrating QA becomes pivotal in adopting a genuine shift-left approach. However, before delving into implementation, it's essential to define Quality Assurance and what constitutes "good."

What’s it really all about?

Quality Assurance, within the SDLC, entails ensuring that projects meet the agreed-upon quality standards within an organisation regarding both the eventual developed solutions and the working processes and procedures that enable delivery success.? ?The quality standards will align with overall objectives set at the project's outset. It signifies a shift from merely testing against requirements to engaging with development teams earlier in the lifecycle.

Yet, QA often gets misapplied in the industry, leading to missed opportunities for early problem resolution and substantial cost savings. Teams employing waterfall methodologies, for instance, may introduce testing late in the process, elongating timelines unnecessarily.

What does effective Quality Assurance entail?

Effective QA begins at the inception stage and extends through each phase until deployment. While implementations may vary across industries, certain elements are deemed critical:

• Communications: Identifying the communication needs across the project to enable clear monitoring against success criteria and the setup of tools to allow quick and effective communication to the right stakeholders.
• Automation First: Prioritising test automation (where appropriate) accelerates delivery, allowing teams to focus on exploratory and usability testing, consequently reducing costs. Automation also enhances consistency and mitigates the risk of human error.
• Documentation: Clear guidelines for documenting Test Plans and Test Cases foster consistency across projects, improving overall delivery output.
• Feedback: Incorporating feedback loops throughout the SDLC enhances development quality by facilitating continuous learning and early issue resolution.

How do you evaluate QA processes?

Embedding a QA approach isn't about introducing unnecessary delays but rather optimising processes from inception:

• Inception: Assess the involvement of testing in the inception stage, ensuring requirements are clear and testable.
• Design: Validate designs and incorporate testing early on, considering non-functional requirements.
• Build: Establish processes to embed quality, including unit testing and code reviews.
• Validation: Define quality gates and release management processes to ensure consistent quality throughout.
• Deploy/Maintain: Plan for post-implementation testing and ensure critical functions are monitored effectively.

At Roq, we provide impartial, expert advice to evaluate the maturity of your QA model. Our team collaborates with you to develop practical roadmaps for change and long-term transformation plans. Whether you're embarking on your Quality journey or seeking to enhance existing processes, we'd love to have a chat.

Think of us as your quality wingman – talk to us Goose! [email protected].