NVP Software Solutions

Category: Software Testing

  • Why October?

    October was Quality Month at one time although we have not heard a lot about that designation recently. It is now also CyberSecurity month.

    We have to ask “Why October?”

    But ignoring the Why for a little bit, it does seem that October is considered to be a month when we are all supposed to look at the way Quality impacts our lives and take a second look at how we have been operating and see if it can be improved.

    Possibly the originators thought that October would give enough time for any improvements to be included into the following year’s budget and plans. However, with so many organizations having different year ends, that thought may no longer apply. Regardless, Quality considerations should not really be restricted to a single month. Continuous improvement is not continuous in name only. It has to occur all year around.

    What are you doing about Quality Month?

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  • Quality Assurance Article

    Following up to our presentation to PMC on September 1, a short article has been posted elaborating on some of the concepts from the talk. Please see the article at PMAC- Article

    Quality Assurance and You

    Using software as an example, in many more locations, we are dependent on it for our safety and well being. Couple that with the pressure for faster delivery and there is not sufficient time to do thorough testing at the end of development. Quality Assurance finds and utilizes the best places to do validation and verification and ensure a good product while reducing the testing cycle. Projects are delivered, faster, cheaper and with better quality.

    Takeaways:

    Three ingredients to delivering Quality.
    The Costs and Risks of Poor Quality.
    Six Steps to implementing a Quality Program
    Sign up today, this event will sell out!

    See the Article for more information or contact us at neil@nvp.ca

  • I’m late for a very important Project

    I’m late for a very important Project

    Monday morning and already we are late for a very important project.

    The project has been going for several weeks (sometimes months) and you only learned about it last Friday. The schedule is well advanced, software is being installed and configured and the end date is fixed.

    Sound familiar?

    Now is the time for some ruthless Risk analysis on what can and can not be done in the remaining time allotted.

    1. What is absolutely crucial and must be completed?
    2. What can be left without increasing the risk profile unduly?

    Concentrate on the items in the first bullet point.

    One thing not to forget is to note the Lessons Learned from the process. Don’t let the rush of the project prevent you from making some notes as to what went wrong and what could be improved for next time. Otherwise the same situation will repeat itself.
     

    Test Leader or Manager with concerns? Consider the Test Managers Conference.

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    Photos by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash and Andrew Measham on Unsplash

  • Quality Assurance Presentation

    If, as a project manager, you are called upon to implement a new process, software or WHATEVER, quality assurance is something you need to watch.
    On September 1, 2021 at 1PM EST, PMAC will be delivering a one time only professional development webinar for members:

    Quality Assurance and You

    Using software as an example, in many more locations, we are dependent on it for our safety and well being. Couple that with the pressure for faster delivery and there is not sufficient time to do thorough testing at the end of development. Quality Assurance finds and utilizes the best places to do validation and verification and ensure a good product while reducing the testing cycle. Projects are delivered, faster, cheaper and with better quality.

    Takeaways:

    Three ingredients to delivering Quality.
    The Costs and Risks of Poor Quality.
    Six Steps to implementing a Quality Program
    Sign up today, this event will sell out!

    https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcode6tpjktHtzrZPnQJLgRXEosgWwv3jTz

  • Starting Quality Assurance – Part 9

    Starting Quality Assurance – Part 9

    Spread the Word

    This is our last recommendation.
     

    You have worked through all the groups in your organization and now everyone is on the Quality path. There are two further recommendations before we drop this topic.

    1. Present your experiences and results to other people and groups. There are always lots of other companies and people who like to hear success stories and the processes you used to get there. It gives them something to work with in their own Quality journey. They may also provide new ideas back to you.
    2. Go back and look at your original and first attempt at Quality Assurance and analyze how it worked and what you would do differently given what you now know. It might surprise you.

     

    Test Leader or Manager with concerns? Consider the Test Managers Conference.

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    Photos by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash and Andrew Measham on Unsplash

  • Starting Quality Assurance – Part 8

    Starting Quality Assurance – Part 8

    Next Steps

    Once you have a self-perpetuating group addressing Quality Ideas, what do you do?
     

    You are not finished! There are always groups and areas that have not been considered yet and if you have really run out of new areas then go back to some of the earlier ones and consider them with a fresh mind. There will be more things that can be improved!

    Talking to people in other companies can often provide a fresh perspective. Go to conferences or check items that are online. It is not always something directly relevant that sparks an idea. Sometimes I look at how someone has addressed an issue using technology and use the ideas in the technology to solve my process problem. I may have no immediate need for the technology itself but the idea can work wonders. There is always a fresh idea! It is also recommended that you publish your solutions and invite comment to see if other people have different ideas or thoughts on solving them.

     

    Test Leader or Manager with concerns? Consider the Test Managers Conference.

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  • Starting Quality Assurance – Part 7

    Starting Quality Assurance – Part 7

    Out of ideas

    What happens if you are out of ideas of what or how to improve?

     

    Not surprisingly this has been considered by some of the pioneers of Quality Assurance.  They understood that there was a limit to the number of ideas that one person or a group could generate.  Even though it was possible to identify the problems, solutions might not be obvious.  After all, if there was an obvious solution, it would have been implemented already.

    The recommendation was to change the composition of the group coming up with the solutions while retaining a minimum of continuity.  One recommendation was for everyone but the idea recorder to change.  The thought was that the idea recorder would know what had been considered (retaining the history) but might not have a vested interested in either supporting or denigrating any of the existing or new ideas.    The change needs to be done before the group becomes entrenched and before it loses momentum.

    There is nothing to prevent people coming back in a few years with new solutions to new problems (or suggesting them to the new group once they have been outside for a while).  Experience always helps.

     

    Test Leader or Manager with concerns? Consider the Test Managers Conference.

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    Photos by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash and Andrew Measham on Unsplash

  • Starting Quality Assurance – Part 6

    Starting Quality Assurance – Part 6

    Have we been successful?

    Last time we gathered some statistics based on the new process once it had settled down. Now we need to compare the new results with the baseline from before the changes were made. If the results have improved, then we keep the change we made. If things have not improved then we need to back out the change and measure again.

    Once we have everything either at the same level as the baseline or improved, then we can embark on the next round of improvements using the same process.

    Two things that can cause problems:
    1. Sometimes the changes are interrelated. This will require research and a method of disentangling the impacts of the changes. Otherwise we may end up undoing the wrong change and find ourselves bouncing back and forth with no long term improvement.
    2. We have to watch for noise in the system or special items that cause the measurements to be inconsistent. No two measurements will be identical and there will be some variation at some level. This has to be ignored or the measurements taken over a long enough time period to even out any variations due to noise in the system. The other item that has to be watched is some special item like a large project or a freeze on development that will cause either the baseline or the new measurements to be inaccurate. Either an adjustment will have to be made or the measurements excluded from the calculation.

    Test Leader or Manager with concerns? Consider the Test Managers Conference.
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    Photos by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash and Andrew Measham on Unsplash