By creating well equipped and streamlined QA practices, organizations can alleviate quality and productive value concerns at every level of project delivery. In the following article, you will discover how the TMMi approach can help to improve your global QA impact and effectiveness.
Organizations always aim to deliver quality products, but even today, Quality Assurance (QA) in information technology (IT) Projects is often underestimated, and frequently the first things to be reduced when budget constraints occur.
It is often said that safety is everyone’s business. We should also say that Quality Assurance must also be everyone’s business, both in project management and business lines, from design to go-live, as well as for the break-in period (post go-live).
In some cases, there may be poor segregation of the environments necessary for the implementation of the different phases of a project. This occasionally results in differences in the code’s version, between environments. “Garbage In / Garbage Out” is an analogy that applies easily in such a case: if the wrong version is used in the first place, this error will generate several problems later!
A valuable process
Most organizations are aware of this kind of issue and will ask their teams to prepare a plan to avoid these situations. The large-scale adoption of the Agile approach, to obtain faster feedback or the DevOps practice for managing environments, also brings their share of challenges when it applies to Quality Assurance. These approaches are associated with change resistance and other organizational impacts and cannot replace a proven sound quality assurance approach on their own.
In the World Quality Report of 2019-2020 (published by the French consulting company Capgemini), we can see that from 2016 to 2019, Senior Management has placed a growing importance on setting Quality Assurance targets. This level of interest has been maintained in the latest report (2020-2021) and three new interest criteria have been added:
Management vs. QA - 2019-2020
Management vs. QA - 2020-2021 (©Capgemini)
With the introduction of methodological changes such as the Agile or DevOps approach, it becomes essential to have an effective plan to properly target efforts, and the processes to ensure quality in the delivery of projects.
What is more, very often these approaches do not happen alone and are introduced as part of a digital transformation, or some other major project. In this context where several changes intersect, it goes without saying that a well-planned Quality Assurance program becomes absolutely necessary.
The TMMi repository
This is exactly the goal of the TMMi (Test Maturity Model Integration) repository. Although still relatively new in North America, the TMMi repository allows organizations to define the plan to achieve the desired level of Quality Assurance.
TMMi establishes:
- A list of processes to be put in place (e.g., testing policy and strategy, testing environment);
- Goals to be defined and measured to be effective;
- Practices to be defined while establishing managers and collaborators in each case.
The TMMi repository can also be seen as a springboard to build, or sometimes to rebuild, a culture of Quality Assurance for an organization or for a team.
TMMi: The Maturity Model of Quality Assurance
TMMi: Building a QA culture
TMMi: Rebuilding the QA culture
Motivating teams
The implementation of the TMMi model is also a great way to motivate teams. Using it, allows your team to improve, both in relation to their work in-house, but also by competing and thus challenging themselves to become better.
In other words, the TMMi model is an exceptional tool for transforming organizations to improve the quality of its software development. It also goes without saying, that it is important that you have a Quality Assurance culture in place, and/or that you should never start a specific testing project without a testing approach that is accessible and adaptive. It will allow you to achieve tangible results.
Using the TMMi model, it is possible to identify the main friction points that have an impact on the quality of your deliverables and thus quickly add appropriate checkpoints. A ‘Use Case’ is always an effective way to illustrate this kind of problem.
Achieving project success by improving the quality of a supplier
Recommendation
Setting up a new Quality Assurance standard, such as the TMMi, is not always a simple and easy process. For some, the model might at first glance seem too strict, or you may simply disagree with its edicts.
It should therefore be recommended by resources with the requisite expertise, (or at a minimum, to be trained in the TMMi standard), before embarking on a construction or transformation project.
As always, you cannot determine where you want to be, if you don’t know where you are. Therefore, an audit of your current situation will help to determine the level of maturity from which you start. From there, by utilizing experts, it will be easier to determine the level you want to eventually reach, and then define an adequate plan to achieve it. This will prevent you from making an inappropriate investment or getting lost in changes at all levels of the business without specific and measured goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Quality Assurance is fundamental to the success of a project. The implementation of a standard like TMMi, will help you organize and structure this important part of the delivery, mitigating adoption challenges and missteps. As Masaaki IMAI said so well:
“What I love about Systematix is that it’s a very people-focused company that not only welcomes individuals from all around the world but truly supports them by offering activities and fostering an open and friendly culture. We’re not just colleagues — we can also build real human connections.”
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“Since joining Systematix, I’ve had the opportunity to work at the heart of the STX Studio on a variety of projects that have allowed me to strengthen my skills in .NET Core and SQL. This experience has been invaluable for my professional development.”
“After 13 years at Systematix, I’ve gone from developer to architect thanks to the support Systematix provides for skill development. I actively contribute to our DevOps and Agile community to help continue sharing knowledge with our consultants. Systematix truly enjoys helping its employees grow — and I really appreciate that!”
“I have been working at Systematix for 22 years now. I consider myself fortunate to be part of a team that truly cares about client satisfaction and employee growth.”
“Working with Systematix and staff has been a pleasure over the years. Their team’s experience and professionalism were evident from start to finish. The level of their clientele is Tier 1, and as such, you immediately know you're dealing with the right organization that elevates your own career through association.”
“Time flies! It’s already been 35 years that Systematix has allowed me to take on exciting assignments within major companies. I truly appreciate the internal team, who have always supported me and helped me grow both professionally and personally.”
“It’s a pleasure to grow within a company that listens and truly takes care of its people! When I expressed my interest in joining the Development Center of Excellence at the STX Studio, I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to join the team right away.”
“I’ve enjoyed my past 8 years at Systematix because the environment is the perfect mix for me: challenging and supportive in equal measure. We’re all given what we need to succeed and made to feel like an important part of the team.”
“After seven years as part of the amazing talent acquisition team at the Montréal office, I developed an increasingly strong desire to support our consultants. I shared my interest in human resources with management, and they offered me the opportunity to join the HR team. I’m truly excited about all the new challenges ahead!”
“I’ve been part of the Systematix team for 20 years now, and I still enjoy overcoming every challenge alongside this fantastic team. At Systematix, every victory is a team effort! I’m also grateful to have been able to grow professionally within the company. It has become a bit like a second family.”
"Working with Systematix has been one of the best investments that I've made in my Professional IT Consulting Career. The firm has been effective at connecting me with opportunities that align with my interests, experiences and skills. The staff at Systematix are experts in their various departments so I always feel supported when searching for interesting opportunities, updating my resume, completing matrix, client interviews, etc."
“I have been affiliated with Systematix since 2004 as they are unique in their ability to offer challenging and diverse opportunities for mutual benefit and professional growth."
"Systematix’s professionalism is excellent. Their team has consistently found opportunities to allow me to grow as a professional over several years. Their deep understanding and knowledge of client needs always allows for easy transitions from one great opportunity to the next"
"Systematix has supported me every step of the way throughout my journey as a Project Manager. It has been an absolute pleasure working with such a professional, knowledgeable and responsive team."
Are you inspired by this article? Would you like to know more about this? Do not hesitate to contact us. We can guide you to success on your Quality Assurance initiatives.
About the author
Said Amouri
Said Amouri is Director and Mentor of the Systematix Quality Assurance Center of Excellence. He holds a Certified “Foundation” and “Advanced” level of Test Manager from ISTQB. He is also TMMi Professional certified, allowing him to measure and advise organizations on their level of maturity in relation to their quality assurance and testing practice.
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