Call In The Bomb Squad: Quality Teams in Software Projects

Adam Smith -

KABOOM! Ahh, the sound of a software project exploding. What happened? A quality team wasn't involved. Okay, it may not have literally blown up (we hope), but without quality assurance and control in a software project, who's keeping an eye out for potential issues?

What is the difference between quality assurance and quality control?

Even though they sound similar, there is an important distinction between the two:

    Quality assurance is the process of improving processes to reduce the risk of quality issues.
    Quality control is the verification of the quality of a product.

Both of these are very important. Without analysing the process for potential slip ups, as well as testing the product itself, the metaphorical bomb can go off.

Why are quality teams needed in software projects?

If things don't go to plan, the result can be higher costs and having to push back deadlines. No thanks. So here is what a quality team can do to help mitigate these:

    A quality team can look at the overall project, from process to testing. They're looking at the overall picture as well as the finer details.
    Getting a quality team onboard at the beginning of a project means that they can identify hurdles quickly. This can result in an overall smoother project run (the dream.).
    A quality team can apply and oversee a range of techniques (from manual smoke tests through to automated regression tests), to really put a product through its paces.

It is worth pointing out that, at the end of the day, no project is perfect. A quality team can only advise on remaining risks when the release comes round. But the likelihood of having a successful product upon launch and beyond is significantly higher.

Interested in learning more? Check out our Bomb Squads: Keeping Software Safe presentation for a deeper dive into this topic.

Need some help dismantling a software bomb?

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