IT Quality Consulting

 

IT Quality is more than having a QA department. The impact of quality failures within the software development lifecycle (SDLC) get progressively more expensive the further into development process they are identified. To improve quality, reduce cost and impact and ensur Yet for many organizations, IT Quality is an afterthought, at best. And the risks and costs associated with application failures are rising.

 

Our IT Quality Consulting Services are designed to help you adopt a comprehensive approach to application quality throughout the development and deployment lifecycle. This requires more than just tools or hiring an organization to do ‘testing.’ It requires that quality becomes ingrained into the culture of the enterprise, that testing and quality checkpoints become key components of the development and deployment lifecycle and that a continuous improvement process be established to consistently review and adapt your quality practices to meet your changing business needs.

 

The Access Group’s Center of Excellence Development Lifecycle was designed to assist clients with the process of adopting a quality culture and establishing a means for enabling the use of quality tools and practices across the enterprise.

 

 

It consists of five steps:

• ITQ Maturity Assessment & Requirements Definition – An ITQ Maturity Assessment and Requirements Definition is the first step to adopting a quality focus within the organization. This service establishes a baseline for current quality practices and defines a roadmap for the policies, processes and actions required to begin the process of improving the enterprise’s quality practices. This process also defines the requirements for any necessary tools that will be utilized in the delivery of quality management services.
  
  
• ITQ Proof of Concept – While policy and process are the two primary drivers for a successful quality initiative, tools are an important element in ensuring the adoption and enforcement of quality practices. They can also represent one of the largest investment components of a quality initiative. In order to assist our clients with the evaluation of tools and to demonstrate their effectiveness as part of a larger quality initiative, The Access Group offers a Proof of Concept service whereby selected tools are implemented within a defined scope so that they can be evaluated as part of the Center of Excellence development process.
  
  
• ITQ CoE Development – The most important part of the development of a Center of Excellence is in the planning. Many organizations and consultants believe that once the assessment has been completed, the requirements defined and tools validated all that’s left to do is implement the tools and you’re up and running. And this is where most implementations fail. Implementation of tools is the final step in this process, but before implementation takes place, it is critical that you establish the policies and processes that will govern CoE operations. How will the CoE be engaged? Will its use be mandated or optional? Will the CoE provide audit functions or simply act as a service center? These key questions and many like it are critical for defining the scope of services to be provided and to ensuring that your investment in a CoE and testing and monitoring tools generates a rapid ROI.
  
  
• ITQ CoE Operations – After operating policies and processes have been established and tools are in operation, the CoE becomes a key operating unit within the enterprise. The Access Group will either work with you to transition all operations to internal staff or can provide on-going support to ensure that you receive continued value from your investments. See our ITQ CoE Selective Outsourcing Service for more information.
  
  
• ITQ Continuous Improvement Maturity Assessments – A Center of Excellence is never static. As the enterprise grows and changes, the CoE must adapt to meet the changing needs of the organization. The CoE must continue to mature and drive improvements in quality throughout the enterprise. Conducting periodic maturity assessments provides a consistent measure and ‘living roadmap’ that enables IT management to guide and monitor the ongoing development and maturity of the CoE.