NVP Software Solutions

Tag: Quality Control

  • Defect Management Process reduces defects – Part 2

    Two weeks ago, we discussed how Root Cause analysis of a defect may identify a process issue, the need to fix the process and how that may not be specific to any one project. In particular a process that is common to many projects can cause the same issue to recur in multiple places. The manifestations may be slightly different in each case but the Root Cause is the same.

    Assuming that Root Cause is a process problem (and many, many problems that are repeated in multiple projects are process problems) the following steps need to be done:

    1. Carry out an impact analysis – how many projects/systems/people have been affected by this problem in the past year?
    2. How many projects/systems/people are going to be impacted by this problem in the coming year?
    3. Estimate the costs incurred in the past year due to this problem and estiamte the expected costs in the coming year.

    We now know how much it has cost and is projected to cost over a two year span. We need to implement a process improvement process and that will cost money. Estimate the costs to change the process and as long as these are less than the projected costs for the next year, we have a positive ROI and can proceed.

    1. Plan to change the process in a way that we hope will fix the problem. Note the cost of the planning exercise.
    2. Make the change in the process. Again – note the cost to make the change.
    3. Measure whether the change has removed the defect or at least reduced its occurrence. Process improvement will not always eliminate a defect entirely, it may reduce the number of times it occurs or reduce its severity.
    4. If there is no improvement or the situation is worse, plan to back out the change.
    5. If there is improvement but more could be done, then plan the next improvment and go through the process again.

    The above is just PDCA for Process Improvment.

    Photo by New Data Services on Unsplash

  • Defect Management Process reduces defects – Part 1

    Last month we talked about Root Cause Analysis and mentioned that the real benefit was derived when we stopped whole classes of defects in many places. However, that gain will not be realised without a Defect Management Process. Doing Root Cause Analysis without an attached process is a waste of time. It is like carrying out a Post Implementation Review or Lessons Learned and not acting on the results.

    As mentioned previously the root case analysis will tell you where the problem originated. In a project situation with a deadline looming we may need to fix that defect for the sake of delivering the project on time and with the required functionality. The Defect Management Process needs to keep that defect in a place where we can continue to act on it and fix the root cause not just the defect itself.

    Assuming that the defect has now been fixed, we can place it in a status where it is fixed (allows the project to proceed) but not fuly closed and filed away. At this stage, Quality Assurance can take over the defect and determine if there is a long term fix that can be implemented. It is quite possible that the fix will span multiple projects and applications. After all the root cause may be a process issue that is common to many projects.

    In a couple of weeks we will discuss how to implement that fix since it may not be project specific.

    Photo by New Data Services on Unsplash

  • RCA – Why – Part 2

    Three weeks ago we asked why we would bother with Root Cause Analysis. We asked some questions and provided some answers. However that analysis concentrated on a single defect and the use of Root Cause Analysis in that case. The power of Root Cause Analysis really applies when we can solve a whole class of defects.

    There is a good chance that a problem that occurs in one place in the code has been repeated elsewhere. Errors have a tendency to be repeated! This came up recently when we were asked to look into a fix that had been implemented 20 years ago. It seemed to be unravelling. This is what is sometimes called a latent defect (one out in production code that suddenly appears). Suffice to say it was the same fix throughout the code and that Root Cause Analysis at the time it originally occurred would have been very helpful. It would have stopped the expensive and time consuming fix required recently. Root cause analysis would have paid for itself multiple times over.

    So the next time you have an error, take a look at it and see if you can put something down in the defect description indicating where it might have originated. Some classification will go a long way to describing where we need to concentrate more resources.

    October is Quality Month. Sign up for our newsletter, to see some things about Quality Month or request a copy if you are too late for this month.

    Photo by JJ Ying on Unsplash

  • Register this week for the October events at TASSQ and KWSQA

    Last chance to register for TASSQ and KWSQA

       

    NVP is at StarCanada Wednesday and Thursday this week. Stop at our booth for your free stress relieving bug.

       

    If you are in the Greater Toronto Area or Kitchener-Waterloo you might want to consider these events to network with other QA people or learn some of the new ideas in QA.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is antenna-502680-unsplash-1024x683.jpg

    NVP Software Solutions will be participating in the following software testing and quality assurance events happening this September in Ontario, Canada. The events are located in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo in the coming weeks. Check out the relevant websites for more information and to register. This is a great opportunity to connect with other software testing and quality assurance professionals. We hope to see you there!


    Photo by Antenna on Unsplash




    THE POWER OF DESIGN SPRINTS FOR PRODUCT TEAM

     October 29, 2019 6:00 p.m.  The Albany Club – 91 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario

    Presenters:  Leah Oliveira and Carlos Oliveira

    Reality Driven Testing

     October 30, 2019 11:30 a.m.   University of Waterloo

    Presenters:  Rob Sabourin 

  • October 2019 Software QA Events in the GTA and beyond

    If you are in the Greater Toronto Area or Kitchener-Waterloo you might want to consider these events to network with other QA people or learn some of the new ideas in QA.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is antenna-502680-unsplash-1024x683.jpg

    NVP Software Solutions will be participating in the following software testing and quality assurance events happening this September in Ontario, Canada. The events are located in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo in the coming weeks. Check out the relevant websites for more information and to register. This is a great opportunity to connect with other software testing and quality assurance professionals. We hope to see you there!


    Photo by Antenna on Unsplash




    THE POWER OF DESIGN SPRINTS FOR PRODUCT TEAM

     October 29, 2019 6:00 p.m.  The Albany Club – 91 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario

    Presenters:  Leah Oliveira and Carlos Oliveira

    Reality Driven Testing

     October 30, 2019 11:30 a.m.   University of Waterloo

    Presenters:  Rob Sabourin 

  • Trend analysis on Defects – Part 1

    One of the items that is missed frequently in most organisations is Trend Analysis on Defects. This is the trend over time and over multiple projects. We are looking for whether things are improving or not as the case may be, over time. There are a number of prerequisites which we will discuss today prior to returning to this topic in a couple of weeks with further information.

    Prerequisites

    1. A consistent method of classifying defects with regard to Priority and Severity. I include definitions and standards for Priority and Severity either in the Test Strategy for an organisation or in every test plan for every project. Note that without this in place; it is impossible to do any trend analysis.
    2. A commitment to fairly recording defects in every phase of the project no matter what methodology you use. Otherwise it is possible to make certain phases look better than others by ignoring or failing to record the defects.
    3. A commitment from management to the years it will take to obtain sufficient statistics for trends to be meaningful.
    4. A commitment to and an understanding of the methodology used to reconcile projects that of different size and that are built in different ways. A very large project built in-house cannot be directly compared to a small project where the software was purchased.
    5. An understanding of the statistical processes that will be used to generate the trends. It is far too easy to draw the wrong conclusion
    If any of these prerequisites are not in place before anything starts, you are embarking on an expensive failure!

    Photo by Stephan Henning on Unsplash

  • September Events in the GTA and Beyond

    If you are in the Greater Toronto Area or Kitchener-Waterloo you might want to consider these events to network with other QA people or learn some of the new ideas in QA.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is antenna-502680-unsplash-1024x683.jpg

    NVP Software Solutions will be participating in the following software testing and quality assurance events happening this September in Ontario, Canada. The events are located in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo in the coming weeks. Check out the relevant websites for more information and to register. This is a great opportunity to connect with other software testing and quality assurance professionals. We hope to see you there!


    Photo by Antenna on Unsplash




    PRESIDENT’S DINNER – V2X (VEHICLE TO EVERYTHING) COMMUNICATIONS

     September 24, 2019 6:00 p.m.  The Albany Club – 91 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario

    Presenters: Charles Finlay, Peter Watkins, Tony Hui, Ysni Semsedini Moderator: Colin Dhillon

    Targeting Quality Conference

     September 23 – 24, 2019 6:00 p.m.  Cambridge Hotel & Conference Centre easily located on Hespeler Road in Cambridge, just off of the 401.

  • What to do with the reported information?

    We have spent the last couple of months asking what should be reported from testing and to whom it should be reported. However, one of the major issues is that a lot of information and statistics are generated and often ignored until the end of the project. We end up with reams of results, counts, trends (sometimes), comments, analysis and opinions along with change documents and other project documentation with no obvious home and no-one looking at it.

    The end result is that decisions are taken without all the required information.

    This is obviously not just a QA issue but a project issue, however, our concern is with the QA information that has been generated. Although it may seem obvious, we need to make sure the items that need attention are brought up at the correct time and place for a decision. Many people will colour code their results to make sure that any critical issues are addressed but that does not help if no-one is paying attention. We tend to go back to the Quality Assurance aspect of determining the process that should be followed and of Process Improvement as we tweak that process to work for us. We need to identify who needs the information and from whom decisions must be obtained. Statistics and impact analysis also always help here to identify what could go wrong. A few weeks ago we mentioned trend analysis and thresholds. These are also critical for any of the information generated.

    Photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash