A Fresh Tack on Quality Assurance: Reimagining the Software Development Life Cycle
Emphasizing the Importance of Quality Culture Oversolely Relying on Quality Assurance (QA) Teams for a Software Product
Tesla recently recalled over 2 million cars due to Autopilot system defects, sparking conversation around the importance of quality assurance (QA) in the tech industry. While some might point fingers at the QA team, the real culprit lies in a lack of a culture of quality, rather than a specific testing process. As a result, costs soared and user experiences suffered. But fear not, for Oleg Sadikov, co-founder and CEO of software testing company DeviQA, offers a solution. Here's his insight on creating an effective software quality culture.
Old Habits Die Hard: The Pitfalls of Relying Solely on a QA Team
We've all been there – a development team eager to offload their code for a quick QA check before release. This outdated approach almost certainly sunk Zoom at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. With swift adoption from 10 million to 200 million daily users, they'd never have survived without agile testing procedures integrated throughout their software development life cycle.
For far too long, we've focused on the rigor of testing but neglected to consider the timing. Picture a Michelin chef overseeing the grocery shopping and personally inspecting each ingredient – that's the level of involvement we need in user-centric software development.
A New Era: Understanding a Culture of Quality
A culture of quality isn't about blaming the QA team; it's about everyone from developers to product managers taking ownership. Take a proactive approach and tackle potential issues before they rear their ugly heads. With this mindset, teams will move beyond the antiquated concept of treating QA as a final check and instead, replace it with a culture where quality belongs to everyone.
Building a Culture of Quality: Five Elements
- Shared Responsibility: Prioritize quality from the outset by fairly distributing ownership among developers, designers, and product teams.
- Shift-Left Testing: Integrate testing into every stage of development to facilitate quicker feedback and streamline the development process.
- CI/CD Integration: Utilize modern AI-powered testing tools to catch issues early and keep up with app advancements.
- User-Centric Approach: Exclusively build software that meets the needs of your clients through testing in real-world scenarios.
- Metrics and Feedback: Gather data to learn from past projects and optimize your approach.
Implementing a Culture of Quality: Five Steps
1. Encourage teamwork and communication.
Create an environment conducive to collaboration, starting with hiring practices and fostering a belief in your leadership.
2. Adopt Test-Driven and Behavior-Driven Development.
Write tests before coding to identify potential issues early and ensure that the software meets both technical and business requirements.
3. Embrace continuous testing and effective monitoring.
Leverage contemporary monitoring tools to gather more data for informed decisions.
4. Foster a learning environment.
whether physical or virtual, creating a space for ongoing education and knowledge sharing.
5. Define relevant KPIs.
Lower defect density, improve code coverage, and tackle customer-reported issues. Utilize the SMARTCBP framework (SMART, but with three additional elements: C-comparable, B-brief, P-public).
In conclusion, to reduce costs, speed up releases, and increase user satisfaction: embody a five-step plan centered on rethinking your approach to quality. Once you've set your sights on a culture of quality, the road to success lies ahead. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
And there's no harm in asking – do you qualify to join the esteemed halls of the Forbes Technology Council?
- Oleg Sadikov, from software testing company DeviQA, advocates for a culture of quality in software development, as demonstrated by Tesla's recent Autopilot system recall.
- Developers should adhere to proactive approaches in software development, integrating testing procedures throughout the development cycle, as lessons from Zoom's experience have shown.
- Following Oleg Sadikov's insight, a culture of quality insists on shared responsibility among team members, shift-left testing, CI/CD integration, user-centric approach, and metrics and feedback, as outlined in the suggestions for building and implementing a quality culture.
