In the last blog we discussed why Quality Assurance for Startups was appropriate despite it not being the first thing on startup leaders’ minds. This is understandable given the amount of other work that needs to be done just to get going as a new business.
It would be pointless to introduce a full Starting-Quality-Assurance process in the beginning stages. The effort involved would detract from the other to-dos and could interfere with growth. With that said, we can introduce a limited Quality Assurance program during the startup stage that will benefit all without adversely impacting the growth of the organisation as follows:
- At the end of each week, take 15 minutes and review what has been done and how it is being done.
- At the end of each month, take 1 hour and review what has been done and how it is being done.
- In both cases, take brief notes and file them.
- At the completion of the one month meeting, consolidate the notes and divide them into groupings. For example: Development; Quality Control; Process; Customer Feedback: Recurrent Issues
- Look for items that might be costing you money; that are easy to correct and can be implemented immediately.
- Look for items that have a medium term to correct and may still be worthwhile
- The biggest items to look for are those that may not be easy or fast to correct but may have a big impact in the future if left unchanged.
If the items fall into the easy category; make the changes now and implement going forward.
If the items fall into the medium category; try to subdivide them into things that can be done immediately and implement some of those.
If the items fall into the long-term or hard category; there may be a need to assess how much effort it will require to implement a change.
We are going to tackle how to implement next week.
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