Software Quality Assurance

Genovese Software QA Consulting, LLC offers three distinct but related forms of service, depending on the needs and stages of business development:

Methods involved in quality assurance consist of monitoring and measuring the full spectrum of the product development cycle through testing and using both “tried and proven” and newer error detection principles. Quality assurance is measured and ensured at each stage of any Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Quality assurance also involves risk-based testing (RBT) and changed-based testing (CBT), in addition to any other required testing level, to identify the likelihood and impact of failures. Finally, User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is employed to determine whether the software passes the outlined business and user experience criteria. Attention is also given to end-to-end integration of systems/platforms to fully validate business operations. The list below outlines a comprehensive list of software quality assurance consulting services provided from assessment/evaluation of current practices to deeper dive analysis leading to improved practices to test modeling to actual implementation and support:

Software testing or error detection principles
Software testing definition, strategy and models applicable to selected SDLC
Test planning development
Test case design development (capturing operational scenarios)
Test execution model
Test evaluation summary reporting
Software testing levels required of given SDLC
Test driven development (TDD) of Agile stories/features
Behavior driven development (BDD) of Agile stories at the function level
Functional testing based on features/requirements (includes: risk-based and change-based test)
Regression testing based on dependencies
End-to-end functional integration testing
Performance/load testing
Infrastructure testing (includes: platform upgrades and patch testing, third party software testing, mobile device testing and browser compatibility testing)
Exploratory/narrative-based testing
Test automation and test services virtualization tools and frameworks
User acceptance testing (UAT)
Error detection metrics development and reporting
Production readiness criteria
Elements of security testing (includes: application scanning for vulnerabilities)
Test data management (includes the use of obfuscated or de-identified production data)
Defect management tools and process
Career-ladder development for “Engineers with Testing Skills”
Shift left testing

Software Quality Engineering

This level of service focuses on the coupling of error detection and prevention, process-driven quality principles, with a view to eliminating extraneous processes and injecting quality upstream (more of a non-testing focus). Quality is driven in and measured at each SDLC phase, and agility through the product development workflow is enhanced whenever possible. Data-centric metrics are used to measure quality and efficiency in each phase and serve as a tool for process owners to make adjustments and improvements leading to greater efficiency and agility. The list below outlines the suite of software quality engineering consulting services provided:

Processing change agents (eliminating costly and extraneous processes)
Working with respective process owners on injecting quality into their practice
Adopting and promoting Lean and Dev Ops processes within product development (includes CI/CD)
Establishing and championing a total software quality eco-system (aka, creating a “Quality” mindset)
Promoting orchestration between the business and IT on quality requirements
Calibrating software test coverage and execution for agility
Creating a “team-centric” approach to quality (using concurrent engineering techniques starting upstream in the SDLC)
Creating error prevention metrics as a tool

Software Quality Management

This stage of software quality focuses on effecting client-driven changes, and overall software quality workflow. A variety of methodologies are employed to empower human agents, continually improve product development processes, report data accurately and consistently, and use data to guide decision-making. Quality management integrates and drives product offerings and services for optimal performance.

Examples of software quality management consulting services provided include establishing and implementing:

Software quality methodology and required artifacts
Software quality based on customer focus
Software quality leadership promoting “Total Quality”
Software quality process approach involving and empowering people
Software quality system approach to management
Software quality continuous improvement program
Software quality data and factual approach to decision making
Software quality approach with mutually beneficial supplier relationships