Joao PROENCA: A little less testing, a little more quality

Summary

Jean Prena, a quality engineer at Ada Health, challenges the conventional view of testing by exploring the multifaceted nature of quality engineering. Through real-world examples, Jean highlights how quality is shaped not only by testing but also by architecture, risk management, and product design. They introduce the concept of quality as a balance of usefulness, correctness, and goodness, stressing that focusing solely on one aspect can lead to incomplete products. Jean encourages quality engineers to expand their roles, influencing all phases of development to improve product quality and user experience, beyond just running tests.

Takeaways

• 😀 Quality is more than just testing; it encompasses risk management, architecture, and user experience.
• 😀 Testing helps manage risk, but there are other ways to address it, such as risk acceptance, transfer, and reaction.
• 😀 The focus on risk management involves four strategies: prevent, accept, transfer, and observe/react.
• 😀 Moving away from monolithic software structures can improve release cycles and quality without increasing testing efforts.
• 😀 Quality has three main dimensions: usefulness (purpose), correctness (functionality), and goodness (user experience).
• 😀 A product can be well-built (correct and useful) but still fail in user adoption if goodness (experience) is neglected.
• 😀 Testing alone cannot fix a product's lack of usefulness—product management and design play a crucial role in quality.
• 😀 Proactive architectural changes and developer feedback can improve quality, even when they aren't traditional testing activities.
• 😀 A good quality engineer looks beyond testing to influence the broader product lifecycle, including architecture and feedback loops.
• 😀 Quality engineering requires management alignment and support to implement practices beyond traditional testing.
• 😀 As quality engineers, it's essential to challenge the status quo, experiment with new approaches, and be proactive in shaping quality.

Q & A

What is the main message of Jean Prena's presentation?

Jean Prena emphasizes that quality engineering is not limited to testing but encompasses a broader approach, including risk management, architectural decisions, and improving the product lifecycle. Quality engineers should focus on making products useful, correct, and pleasant to use.

What is the role of risk management in quality engineering according to Jean Prena?

Risk management plays a key role in quality engineering by helping engineers address potential risks in the product development lifecycle. Jean highlights four strategies: prevention, acceptance, transfer, and observation/reaction. Testing helps in preventing risks, but it's just one tool among many.

How does Jean Prena define the three key dimensions of quality?

Jean Prena defines quality as having three key dimensions: usefulness (whether the product solves a problem), correctness (whether the product works as expected), and goodness (whether the product is pleasant and enjoyable to use).

Why is focusing too much on testing not always effective for quality?

Focusing solely on testing can miss the broader issues of product quality, such as the product's overall usefulness, user experience, and its architectural structure. Quality engineers need to influence various aspects of the product, not just focus on testing its correctness.

Can you give an example of a product that was well-built but failed due to lack of usefulness?

Jean mentions a product that was well-made but ultimately failed because it was a tool for team collaboration that no one found useful anymore. The product was well-constructed, but its usefulness had diminished over time.

How did Jean Prena improve the quality of a product without increasing testing efforts?

Jean improved product quality by addressing architectural issues, such as decoupling monolithic parts of the system and allowing for faster releases. This improved the overall quality without increasing the burden of testing.

What was the challenge with monolithic systems in the context of quality engineering?

Monolithic systems often cause quality problems because they become difficult to manage as they grow. The complexity can slow down development, making it harder to test and release frequently. Decoupling the system into smaller, more manageable components allows for better quality control and faster feedback.

Why is management support important for quality engineers?

Management support is crucial for quality engineers because it allows them to implement innovative approaches that go beyond traditional testing. Without leadership backing, engineers may struggle to influence the broader product development process and make quality improvements.

What did Jean Prena mean when he said quality engineering involves more than just testing?

Jean Prena meant that quality engineering is about shaping the entire product development process, from architecture and design to risk management and user experience. Testing is an important part of it, but it is only one component of ensuring overall product quality.

How can quality engineers influence a product beyond testing?

Quality engineers can influence a product by focusing on architectural decisions, simplifying systems, gathering user feedback, and implementing risk management strategies. These efforts help improve the product's usability, functionality, and overall quality without solely relying on testing.