This presentation talks about the benefits of Quality Assurance Teams in Software Development / Service Companies

1. Quality Assurance Team
Top 10 Benefits
Sivaraam Duraisamy

2. Quality Assurance Team
Key Responsibility
Defining, Maintaining and Implementing the
processes applicable for the institution

3. Benefits of Quality Assurance Team
1. Improving maturity of the organization
2. Ensuring effectiveness of the processes being
followed
3. Facilitating to tailor the procedures for the
users
4. Be the eye and ears of the Top Management
5. Improving customers’ confidence

4. Benefits of Quality Assurance Team. Contd…
6. Facilitating the teams
deliverables consistently
to
make
quality
7. Working as an ambassador for the development
team
8. Controlling the Cost of Quality
9. Getting more benefits out of the certifications
10.Making all the functions work towards a
common goal

5. 1.Improving Maturity
Maturity of the organization falls with the
processes is being followed. In this changing
environment
and
competitive
atmosphere
changes in the processes are unavoidable. QA
Group takes care of the process definition and
implementation,
which
organizations’ growth.
indirectly
help
the

6. 2. Ensuring the Effective Implementation of
Processes
 QA teams’ responsibility is extended to the level of knowing the
effectiveness of the processes and the effectiveness of their
implementation. To know them the internal audits are being
conducted at defined intervals. The audit process can be treated as
a health check process. The outcome of the audit reveals the
strengths and weaknesses of the organization. QA Team plays the
major role in conducting the audit and also in taking the corrective
actions to bring out the best results.

7. 3.Tailoring the Processes
 Organizations may be having the defined Quality
Management System (QMS). In IT industry each project
is a unique one. So the procedures available in the
QMS cannot be followed as it is. As the QA Team is
working with multiple projects, have the better idea on
tailoring the procedures to match with the projects to
bring out better results

8. 4.Eye and Ears of Top Management
 Though it is said to be Quality is every ones
responsibility, the best results are obtained only if
Quality is driven by top management. But top
management cannot concentrate more on the quality
of the deliverables, there the QA department works as
eyes and ears of the management. It helps the top
management to take better decisions

9. 5. Improving Customer Confidence
 Customers are more focused on the quality of the
deliverables. The project development team has
testing team to ensure the quality of the deliverable.
Project teams’ focus on quality is only based on the
experience that the team has. When QA Team exists in
the organization, when the deliverables are made to
the customers, only with the acceptance of the QA
team, then the mistake made by the project teams are
minimized. This improves the customers’ confidence
on the deliverables made.

10. 6. Consistent Quality Deliverable
As the QA team is certifying the deliverables
for every release of all the projects, the QA
team knows organization wide weak points
and takes corrective actions immediately. So
that the organization will deliver with
consistent quality.

11. 7.Dev. Team – QA Team- Customer
 Sometimes there are instances that the customer may not be agreeing the
suggestion, solutions, estimations made by the development team. At
that moment the development team needs a support their statement. In
that scenario, QA team can pitch in study the issues, and talk to the client
on behalf of the organization. The customers also value the suggestions
given by the QA team as it is natural to development team and client. QA
team works as an ambassador for the client in demanding the right quality
deliverables at the same time as ambassador for the development team
by placing the development teams’ views.

12. 8.Controlling Cost of Quality
 In Software developing / servicing units the Cost of
Quality is more varying between 30 to 40% of the
projects’ cost. QA Team analysis the organization wide
Cost of Quality, and give solutions to the project teams
on the corrective and preventive actions done to
reduce the cost of quality. It is also takes care of the
process changes if anything is required.

13. 9. Support Functions
 Support functions like General Administration Department,
IT Infrastructure Department, and Human Resource
Department are also working towards the benefits of the
Organization. Each department has their own procedure.
QA department defines the process for all these
departments including the production department. Thus
QA department has the chance of working with all the
departments, knowing all the departments’ activities, and
help them moving towards the Organization. Better
cooperation leads to better results

14. 10. Certifications
 Certifications help the customers to have a trust on the
capability of the companies. Normally QA departments
are
helping
the
organizations
in
raising
the
organizations to compliance with the standards
requirements to get the certificates. Also the QA
department follow-up work across the organization to
sustain the certificates. These certificates help to
improve the business.