Delivering a high-quality product is your software development team’s ultimate goal. As a product manager, you’re already aware of the benefits it can have towards your business’s performance.
But did you also know that product quality can directly impact the relationship you have with your customers? Indeed, a recent study concluded that ‘customer loyalty is a function of customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction is a function of the firm product quality’.
This is what makes quality assurance and quality control so important. When incorporated correctly, they reduce the likelihood of errors and increase quality. All in all, it's what makes for productive users and happy customers.
However, not all teams extract the most value from their QC resources.
Typically, QA happens throughout the development process, but QC only happens after the development process is complete. While your QC team can catch and fix errors during this post-development period, earlier involvement could prevent potential defects from falling through the cracks. It may also reduce the need for further time-consuming tweaks before product release.
So, if you have the QC resources on hand - why not use them throughout your development process?
Quality control ensures your development team pay close attention to the finer details of your product. This is something your developers may overlook under the flexible ‘get it done’ attitude that prevails in Agile teams. It’s also something your process-oriented QA teams might miss.
The QC process influences the rest of your team’s attitude towards your product. With their collaboration, you can reduce defects and improve product quality. You can enhance your processes.
Even if you outsource your QC resources, you can still embed them in your Agile QA and development processes. They are fully familiar with the rest the software development process, as well as the stages of story building and requirement scoping. They can understand your requirements and provide their own unique insights… but only if you invite them in.
As a product manager, you filter down customer feedback, insights, and change requests to your development team. But it’s the responsibility of individual team members to solve these problems autonomously. This can be great for boosting engagement and motivation.
But how one team member defines ‘quality’ may differ from another. That’s not to say they don’t strive for quality, only that your development and QA teams may not view their tasks through a QC lens.
You can fill these knowledge gaps by:
‘Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skilful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.’ – William A. Foster
The continuous improvement, collaboration, and individual ownership principles of Agile processes unite teams. They foster an environment where everyone buys into the success of your product.
You can make the most of this framework - and enhance the quality of your product - by making QC iterative.
By embedding your QC team into the entire development process, you’ll cover more perspectives and overcome potential defects. Through further knowledge sharing and collaboration, you’ll only make your Agile team stronger. And your products? They’ll have a better chance of satisfying your customers and succeeding upon release.