Quality Assurance (QA) is often trivialized and underestimated as mere "testing." However, QA is far more than an optional task added at the end of the delivery process. We summarize Quality Assurance as follows:
Build the Right Thing: Ensure the intended deliverable aligns with the business strategy, priorities, budget, and user expectations, and is relevant in current and future markets.
Build for the Right Reasons: Ensure the deliverable is in the interests of the company, its customers, its suppliers, and aligns with the company's ethics.
Build the Right Way: Ensure the deliverable meets the agreed appropriate metrics, targets, and standards.
Quality Assurance is a fundamental aspect of an organization's culture. It is defined and instilled by the leadership, based on how much value they place on the points above.
Before joining Rosewood as Principal Consultant, I was a Managing Director at Accenture. Part of an MD's responsibilities was that of Quality Assurance Director (QAD), a unique leadership role, one I cherished. It's a great example of where quality is driven from leadership and woven into the core fabric of this organisation. Here are some valuable lessons I learned at Accenture and some battle scars earned elsewhere:
Ingrained in the Culture
The QAD's role is first and foremost that of an independent coach and "helper" to the team (and client); to assist, advise, direct and provide wisdom from past experience. QAD provides this independent oversight during shaping an opportunity, through to the final delivery ensuring it meets the definitions above and the agreed standards and KPIs. Some may point to failed deliveries. Sure, not every delivery goes according to plan but those failures would have been far worse without this role.
Build it for the Right Reasons
The corruption cases involving reputable firms securing large South African government contracts highlights the importance of this point. Stress (such as meeting sales targets) can lead to poor decisions with significant consequences. At Accenture, multiple internal checks, balances, and approvals are in place when shaping a deal but it's the QAD who provides the independent assessment and sense check. I observed many opportunities that did not progress because it was not the right deal for the customer or the business.
Build the Right Thing the Right Way
It is essential to clearly distinguish between primary and secondary metrics; primary metrics are the core metrics the team has direct influence over, whereas the secondary metrics are affected by the outcomes of the primary metrics. I have experienced the unfortunate scenario in another organisation which was measured on secondary metrics over which we had very little, if any, influence. This pressure caused us to focus on short term tactics to nudge these metrics forward as best as we could at the expense of what would add true value. The result was wasteful spend, delayed realisation of true value and a toxic working environment.
Set Appropriate Targets and Review Regularly
Context is everything. The stringent quality metrics NASA applied to the multi-billion-dollar James Webb telescope are inappropriate for a simple e-commerce website. Many years ago I was part of a web development team where we set ourselves completely impractical and unnecessarily stringent quality targets. The result was a "beautiful", completely over-engineered solution easier to test than implement. Later, the project swung to the other extreme, disabling the unit tests and code analysis tools, resulting in a mess. It highlights the importance of regularly reassessing and adjusting quality metrics to be reasonable and appropriate.
Commitment to Quality
Defining and agreeing on appropriate delivery quality metrics and committing to meeting these metrics sets you up for success, especially during stressful times. In the past I have experienced an unreasonably hostile client who challenged the quality of a delivery. An independent external audit revealed that the team had enforced agreed standards despite a hostile client environment, making challenging discussions significantly easier.
When Things Go Bad
This oversight role played by the QAD is especially valuable in times of trouble, when an experienced and calm head is needed to see the wood from the trees and lead the team through challenges. At Rosewood, we have decades of experience evaluating companies that implemented large scale projects - not all of them successfully. Failure is rarely due to a lack of effort on the team's part—they are typically working hard to put out fires. It's critical to create an environment where the team can speak openly about issues and independent assistance completely separated from the existing dynamics and pressures is instrumental to creating such an environment. From there, one can plan a course to success, identifying what can be salvaged and what metaphorically should be left to burn.
At Rosewood, we provide Quality Assurance oversight services for our customers. This service is complementary to due diligence assessment. If you need independent, experienced leadership oversight for your product development, we can guide you. If you want to make impactful quality improvements, we can assist you. If you are struggling to deliver and need a clear, calm, experienced head to help you through troubled waters, we have the experience to help you through the storm.
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