QA Blog Series Post 4: Implementing a QA process

To wrap up our series on quality assurance, we wanted to discuss ways to implement a QA process. One of the important factors of a successful QA process, is to have buy in from the top. Senior management has to be involved in shaping the process and implementing a system. Although, management needs to be involved, it is also imperative to make sure development teams have a seat at the table. Since, for the most part, it will be the development teams that will be involved in the day to day QA process.

Additionally, a critical factor is to work out the detailed process or workflow involved in this process. It is important not to make the system bureaucratic to where cycle time increases. A way to overcome this issue is to divide most development projects into two categories: small and big projects. For big projects, it may be necessary to have an independent QA team that is not involved in the development process. However, for smaller projects, especially those involving just one person, it may not be necessary to physically separate the development and QA process. Essentially, the developer can take off his developer hat and put on his QA hat when reviewing the code and logic.

There are many nuances to developing and implementing a QA process. These processes have to be customized to fit your business needs. We hope this QA series initiates a discussion on the essential need to have a high level of confidence in your code and in the data analysis that follows.