Quality & Technology

Have Personal commitment to both product, organizational quality and its excellence
Have Strong sense of value for others' work and leadership
Have Skilled application of a broad base of knowledge on quality field and an understanding of how to apply this knowledge in functional areas
Obtain Wisdom about both people and things, and an understanding of how to integrate them to attain and sustain Quality
Practice Absence (or control) of temperamental or emotional characteristics that might interfere with the effort towards Quality
Follow the critical personal attributes including creativity, patience, flexibility and self discipline
Develop Good listening skills, excellent coaching and training skills,
Be Sensitive to customer and team issues
Develop Capability in managing change
Do not let any bureaucratese spoil the sprit of Quality

Principle: Talk Practice Language
Definition: Language by which you could sell the theoretical process for the team to understand and accept

Sub points
1 Understand the Theoretical Process
2 Workout an internal strategy on how to facilitate the process
3 Explain the process to the team using the Practice Language

Description:
Practical and Practice. Two different words but very well applicable for Process owner (EPG) and Process facilitators (QA).

Where the EPG should have their Process addressing Practical issues and emphasizing the practical way of implementing, The QA should take it to the Project members using practice Language.

When facilitating the process implementation Each QA should first understand the process, relate it with the type and nature of work/activities in the project, and explain to the team members in the appropriate language which is in practice

Principle # 2 “Involve in the Shared vision”

Definition:
Be a part of the Shared vision of the product or the version and accelerate the activities aiming to achieve the shared vision
Sub points:
1 Develop focus area for the shared vision related to Quality
2 Identify the relationship between each focus areas
3 List down the process required to accomplish the focus areas
4 Identify the Quality assurance activities to facilitate the accomplishment of the focus areas
5 Identify the Quality assessment methods to track and evaluate the accomplishments of the focus areas

Description
While describing on the Shared vision the foremost and the important vision is “Quality”. As far as the QA is concerned, Quality should be viewed from two angles.
• Users view: Quality means fitness for purpose – Which drives the Business Factors
• Product view: Quality is tied to inherent characteristics of product – Which drives the Technical factors
Sample Shared vision describing the “Focus area related to Quality”

Principle: Give focused care for Efficiency and Effectiveness

Definition: Efficiency is defined as the degree of productivity without waste. Effectiveness is defined as the quality of prioritizing and working on the right things. Together it can be described as more right tasks in less time

Subpoints
• Identify the right set of Quality assurance activities
• Perform the Quality assurance activities rightly

Description
This is one of the important principles every QA should have while listing out the Quality assurance tasks..

While defining the Quality Plan of our Product/business etc any other Quality assurance plan, think from the Product perspective, which of the activities are relevant and required to be performed and which are not required to be performed.

Most of the time, we focus are accumulating (over version after version or year over year ) what all activities that are required to be performed, but there should be one radical thinking of which are things that are not required to be performed based on the current situation and current vision of the version.

This is not only limited to the Quality assurance activities but can be linked to any activities that the product need to put unnecessary effort.

Even when you are defining the Process to be followed by the team, always think of these two aspects (efficiency and effectiveness)

Principle # 1 Have End to End Vision
Definition: Understand what is End to End and from different views perspective and perform all your activities having those End to End perspectives in your mind

Sub Points:
 Identify the Scope of End to End
 Perform Quality Assurance Planning and Monitoring covering all the aspect of the
 Resolve the Conflicts

Description
The End to End Vision should be looked from different views
 Business/Organization View
 Product’s View
 Customer’s View

Understand the END TO END Vision of the Organization, Product and Customer and what is expected from each member of the organization (as an individual or as a team). Hence as a QA we must also have our activities focused towards END TO END scope from all the views..

Principle: Perform Requirements driven Deliverable audit

Definition:
Identify requirements for each deliverable and use the same to check during the Deliverable Audit

Sub points:
 Identify the requirements for each Deliverable
 Update the Deliverable Audit Checklist
 Provide the Checklist as a guideline during the beginning of the phase to the team
 Perform Objective Evaluation of the Deliverable using the updated Checklist

Description
Deliverable Audit performed by the QA is no more a formality for filling up the predefined checklist. The aim for the DA is to check whether the current Deliverable is correct and complete enough to qualify for using and referring and will it guide the team to proceed in right path towards shared vision.

Identify the deliverables for each Phase and identify the requirements for each Deliverable. The source of requirements for each Deliverable includes
 Product/Platform Requirements
 Carry forward the related, addressed in the Previous, parallel deliverable
 Address the expected outcome of each relevant WBS/Action item (e.g. check for the WBS to identify what all analysis/activities is been listed down and check whether any of the activities/analysis will have potential impact to the current deliverable.
 Action items/issue register which has some impact to the current deliverable
 Other Documentation related requirements (e.g. Information security, readability etc)
 Any Assumptions/Constraints that were addressed elsewhere that need to be taken care in the current deliverables

Convert these requirements into a deliverable audit checklist and use the same not only for Checking at the end of the phase but use it as a Guideline for the team to develop the deliverable accordingly

And when evaluating/checking the deliverable based on the checklist, provide binary rating. E.g. in the above example, if the Non functional requirement section is covering something but not all. Do not give “Yes” or “PASS”. Provide the rating only if all the necessary requirements are addressed.

Principle: Develop the Phase Gate assessment framework to assess the Quality

Description:
Develop the complete assessment framework for each Phase to assess the Quality and apply it to assess the Quality of the work & work products been done during the phase

Sub points
 Identify the data & Information required for assessment
 Develop the Assessment Framework
 Have clarity on Objective and Subjective inputs required for Assessment
 Apply the assessment framework

Description
Two important points to remember
 Everything cannot be evaluated by using of metrics and measurement and
 All that successfully evaluated using the Metrics and measurement cannot guarantee the quality of the product

As a QA based on the Shared vision and the Process you have proposed, develop an Integrated Assessment Framework which consists of Both Objective and Subjective information

Each assessment framework will cover several data & information, which will classify into any one ore more of the following three aspects

 Transcendent Properties: These are qualitative factors which are hard to measure, and about which people have different views and definition, for example Usability
 Quality Factors: These are characteristics of the system which are made up of measurable factors called quality metrics and quality attributes. The quality factors themselves are either subjective or objective characteristics. For example reliability and flexibility
 Merit indices: These subjectively define functions of the system. They are measured by quality ratings, which are subjective value ratings

Build up the assessment framework based on the classified data or information

Principle: Align the Process with the Product Expectation
Definition:
Establish the process which is aligned with the Product’s Shared vision and which will help the team to perform effectively and efficiently.
Sub Points:
 Understand the Product/Platform’s Shared Vision
 Identify Right set of Process
 Check the Top-down and Bottom-up process flow

Description
While defining the right set of process, the QA should ensure that it will
 Help the Team in achieving the shared vision
 Help in performing Quality Assurance activities effectively
 Help in Performing Quality Assessments

Most of the times we set the process without assessing whether it will ensure all of the above or sometimes we will set the process so that our Quality assurance activities can be done easily at the cost of achieving the shared vision

Every QA should completely brainstorm along with the stakeholders of the Product/Platform in defining the Process and check the process flow from top-down perspective and bottom-up perspective

Principle: Use right set of methods to support the assessment
Definition:
Identify right set of methods that will help in assisting the quality assessment and use more than one method before providing the conclusion

Subpoints:
1. Identify Right set of Methods for each type of work
2. Integrate that with the Quality Assessment Framework
3. Identify alternate methods if outcomes cannot be decided

Description
Choose right set of tools or methods and study the profile for each tools or methods. Decide at which part of the Quality Assessment framework that it should fit and perform the assessment using the identified methods and tools.

Principle: Give Improvable Improvements
Description:
Provide improvements to the process on a continual basis and ensure that the Improvements are focused towards the betterment of the product or process

Subpoints
 Identify the areas/channels where by the improvements can be tapped
 Closely watch for the improvement opportunity
 Implement/Ensure Implementation of the Improvements

Description

First identify which area that requires focus for Improvement from the product and process perspective. Identify the areas/Channels where by the Improvements can be identified.

Set a goal for Improvements from each Channel and look for all the opportunities to get the improvements. Implement the Improvements with proper analysis

Principle: Enhance Competence

Definition
Self Improve the Competence to have the minimum standards.

Description
'Competencies' and 'competences', now the two terms are often used interchangeably. 'Competency' is more precisely defined as the behaviors that QA must have, or must acquire, to input into a situation in order to achieve high levels of performance, while 'competence' relates to a system of minimum standards or is demonstrated by performance and outputs.

Each QA must enhance their 'competence' in the following areas:
 Process understanding
 Communication skills
 team skills
 results-orientation
 Problem-solving.
.