Software Quality Assurance - The Heart of Total Quality
Introduction
My roots in total quality are broad and deep, having been a developer
and manager of software development, QA, technical publications, and training
development. My instincts have always been to create the best possible
experience for customers. I have accomplished that goal by building strengths
in all dimensions of product delivery.
Throughout my career, my teams have delivered high-quality products to
the marketplace by becoming organizations that value the importance of
the customer experience. The articles below describe real challenges I
have faced and how I promoted value-chains that produced high-quality
deliverables.
The bottom line for quality is a satisfied end user. Quality organizations, engineering teams, and outsourcers are often guilty of ignoring the interests of customers by focusing on their own inward-looking quality metrics. This article explores some actual situations encountered and how we achieved a customer-driven quality focus.
Producing high quality software goods and services requires skillful management of the "quality value chain" from inception through support. QA and testing organizations are downstream and have to live with the consequences of upstream actions. This article discusses the methods used to build a healthy Demand/Fulfillment dynamic across the value chain. The result is a better alignment of customer expectations with software releases.
Metrics are all about creating actions around business goals. When it comes to metrics, there are numerous quality and testing possibilities. It is therefore important to carefully select ones that truly suit your situation. The ones that I have found most useful and cost-effective are discussed in this article.
Automation has become universally accepted as a means for saving costs. Replacing humans with testing tools is on the surface a no-brainer. But the choices QA organizations make about automation will have a profound effect on tool technology and more importantly, the culture of the organization. This article sheds light on approaches that work and where they fall seriously short of the mark.
As a long-time quality manager I have built and reshaped organizations many times in my career. I have all too often experienced QA organizations that perform nominal testing but are barely functional at promoting quality objectives within the business. This article exposes some of the deep cultural and technical challenges and how to correct them.
© 2006 Claude Fenner - Specializing in Software Management and Quality www.claudefenner.com