Quality is not just about testing despite the stereotype. Besides, is it really up to QA to do the tests?
We set about working on this theme during our last round table “Making Quality. Without tests. “. This article summarizes the main points we shared.
Software quality is still too often found only associated with testing. Real challenges of value perception, communication, and collaboration are at the heart of this issue.
I thank the participants for their presence and contribution:
- Arnaud Dutrillaux, Senior Quality Engineer at La Javaness
- Benjamin Butel, Agile Coach at Klaxoon
- Christophe Moustier, Quality and Test Expert at Inetum, Author
- Farah Chabchoub, Head of QA at Livestorm & Speaker
- Iman Benlekehal, Specialist in Software Quality Assurance
- Olivier Dennemont, Head of QA at Manomano
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Quality begins (grows and ends) with culture
“Tests? You have to see with the QA team”, a phrase that we regularly hear, without necessarily counter-arguments. This myth is widely held and accepted in the software industry. Codes, beliefs, and shared practices are the basis of culture. The actors act in accordance with their culture to define, build and maintain software.
Achieving quality, therefore, requires an evolution of the culture of the organization.
Like some tribes that have developed entirely different codes, some organizations value quality differently. Spotify is a good example that has resulted in a successful, scalable, and sustainable product approach. Benjamin drew a parallel between the level of quality and our choice of tangible products: low, mid, or high-end.
“You have to discern what quality of the product you build, up to the management; do you want a disposable low-cost, a cheap for two years, or better?”
Benjamin Butel
For other cultures, from startups to the Fortune 100, quality is often a low-cost model; we develop every two years again, keeping and accumulating technical debt until the next wall. These cultures often associate QA with end-of-line tests once the developments have been carried out, without business contact and even less with the customer.
This segmentation of QA is one of the main issues for a more transversal quality. Olivier shared his personal experience with us where the direct contact with the product users — particularly their feedback — made him aware of the quality imperative.
“The proximity to the users made me aware of the quality of the product very early on.”
Olivier Dennemont
This proximity reminds us that software is not just code; it is a solution that must be useful for someone. This empathy is necessary; we can easily lose sight of the customer while immersed in our technological questions.
Coming back to culture, the established codes and words are powerful and revealing. Is the QA team materialized by an organizational silo in the organizational chart? Does the team leader have a “Lead Test” title? Do the team members talk about tests, quality, or business value?
These are all variables that influence the perception of the quality of the organization. Quality is therefore structuring, starting first with ourselves; Are we talking about the business? Are we in contact with the customer? Do we work to decline the strategic priorities on the axes of quality?
The work begins by ourselves before to broaden our impact on the rest of the organization. Cultural changes take time, and for this reason, they must be initiated early.
The first step is to build a shared vision through collaboration.
Co-constructing a common corporate objective, supported by quality
The collaboration effectiveness is supported by common company culture and shared goals. Without this star, local forces will gain the upper hand to the detriment of the system’s overall performance.
Ensuring quality must therefore be a common unifying objective; a track, it is not software quality as such. Let’s take a step back before talking about Shift-left, Shift-right, DevOps, microservices, or Holistic Testing.
Applying the “First things First” and “Start with Why” principles are relevant here. Iman shared the term “Shift-up and Spread” to start our thinking, supporting a focus on the company and its customers before widening our prism.
“Before talking about Shift-left or Shift-right, Quality must identify the value in Shift-up.”
Iman Benlekehal
We come back to the initial “Why” of the organization through its mission, vision and values. This motivation of existence must translate into internal and external objectives, particularly for the customers. The breakdown of quality imperatives must derive from this raison d’être, declined at several levels.
First, our approach must involve the various stakeholders in collaborative workshops, from sponsors to operational staff. Iman shared with us the key objective of aligning quality priorities beyond initial individual perceptions. Farah has also shared its practices in this interview: Quality Assurance, From Operations to the Board of Directors.
Second, the quality value proposition must bring the business vision as close as possible to that of IT. The rise of the digitalization of companies is an opportunity to be seized in the articulation of quality value. We can find elements of excellence in the customer experience, business development iterations, or the reliability of our corporate backbone.
Models have emerged from major players who have had to address similar issues, moreover, at scale. Google, for example, has changed its concept of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) towards Customer Reliability Engineering (CRE). This interesting turn shows the transversalization of practices and the strength of the words chosen.
Our value is to articulate a quality value proposition by identifying appropriate choices in our context. We have a strong advisory duty to bring out the invisible issues of the business and the trade-offs they involve. Arnaud shared the need for integrated quality, especially in dynamic environments.
Accelerating delivery cycles requires transversal and inclusive quality. There are no other options. “
Arnaud Dutrillaux
Lately, the quality that we want to co-build requires reinforcement mechanisms, known as feedback loops. This is where the inclusion of sponsors and influencers is more than relevant for communication, arbitration, and quality defense actions, especially when the pressure increases. Christophe mentioned the importance of double learning loops that we will detail afterward.
Sponsors are also needed to change the organization, a structural element of quality improvement.
Moving from quality assurance to quality assistance
Access to the full article at https://qeunit.com/blog/quality-without-testing/
Originally published at https://qeunit.com on June 16, 2021.
