Quality secrets for a development manager: Do you want to quickly and efficiently release new versions of your product? Testing will not help.

6 min readMar 14, 2024

If you stopped at this article, most likely, you are just that leader. You have already done everything by “the book.” You have some process; you hired key persons, but when you want to release a new version — it’s impossible to quickly and painlessly roll out new versions into production every two weeks. Every release has blockers; you get an update about it an hour before deployment. Production incidents from customers are daily. And you want the silence. Just silent release without overhead actions activities.

Suppose the reason for this is the “quality” of the product, which you measure by the number of bugs during the development process and then at the client. If you already have a team of testers and automation coverage, this article can help you.

Myths about quality

Let’s immediately define the myths: Testing will not help you improve the quality of your product — it can point out problems and give you a report on the status of a particular version. However, testing itself is a tool in the quality control process. In other words, you already created the product, and I just researched it, tested it, collected information about it, wrote a report, and provided the report to you. You can also decide whether to roll out this version to clients.

Another myth is that I will strengthen the testing department by hiring more testers to improve the quality. Plus, I’ll enhance the coverage of auto checks, and then we’ll start rolling out new versions faster and more efficiently. Typically, this is the first reaction of testing and development managers in companies. But no matter how many motion sensors you put on the fence, if the wall is “shit,” thieves will sneak in and steal anyway. Testing is a flashlight, motion sensor, and surveillance in the army. Based on the result of testing activities, you receive information. Still, it can only illuminate a problem, report movement, or inform you that the enemy is in another place. But no more.

They usually seek help from “me” or other development process experts at this stage. But what should you do right now?

Focus on quality

It is straightforward to forget that any quality product results from the work of the people involved in the process and the tools and technologies used.

The first step is to change your approach — from eliminating an existing problem to its prevention/prevention — in other words, from quality control to quality improvement. This concerns Quality Culture, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control (testing).

This does not mean that we should completely remove testing. This means that we add activities that improve the quality of the development process — in other words, so that the new version of your product turns out to a very high level the first time (works as expected, few regressive bugs, etc.).

Shift Left

How can we begin to influence the product we receive for testing? You need to move to the left in the process.

Shift Left is a methodology aimed at moving testing stages to earlier stages of development.

Shift Left Target

Improve software quality: Identifying and correcting errors early on results in fewer problems later in the process.
Reduce error correction costs: The earlier an error is detected, the cheaper it is to fix it.
Speed up the development process: Regular testing helps avoid delays due to the accumulation of errors.

How Shift Left Affects Software Quality

1. Early detection of errors:

Testing begins at the design stage and continues throughout the development cycle.
Automated tests have been integrated into the development process.
The development team is actively involved in testing.

2. Increased responsibility:

Developers are responsible for the quality of their code.
Peer review of code becomes a mandatory practice.

3. Design improvement:

Testing helps identify problems with a system’s design and architecture at an early stage.
Enhances the modularity and maintainability of the code.

4. Increased transparency:

The development and testing team has access to complete information about the product.
Regular information exchange and collaboration.

5. Quality culture:

Quality becomes a priority for the entire team.
Constant striving for improvement.

Effect of Shift Left on PO quality

Reducing the number of errors: Shift Left allows you to identify and correct errors early when fixing them is easier and cheaper.
Productivity increase: Early detection of problems helps avoid costly delays at later stages.
Improved customer satisfaction: A quality product with fewer errors leads to happier customers.

Shift Left is a set of tools and a development philosophy based on the team’s priority of quality and responsibility. It’s important to understand that Shift Left requires changes in culture and development processes.

Team approach

The team approach comes from Agile, but I believe it can be applied wherever a team exists. So, to improve the “initial quality,” you can start there.

A team approach is one of the fundamental principles of Agile methodologies. It means that work on the project is in progress in a self-organized team, where each team member:

Responsible for your part of the work.
Interacts with other team members to achieve common goals.
Constantly learning and developing.
Ready for change and adaptation to new conditions.

Characteristics of the team approach:

1. Self-organization:

The team determines how to work, distributes tasks, and makes decisions.
There is no need for a rigid hierarchy or constant control by management.

2. Collective responsibility:

All team members are responsible for the final result of the work.
The success or failure of a project is perceived as shared.

3. Open communication:

Team members communicate freely with each other and share information and ideas.
Problems and obstacles are resolved openly and collectively.

4. Mutual assistance and cooperation:

Team members are ready to help each other and share knowledge and experience.
An atmosphere of mutual support and trust.

5. Continuous training:

The team constantly learns from its mistakes, analyzes the results of its work, and improves its skills.
Culture of continuous development and self-improvement.

6. Adaptability to change:

The team is ready for changes in requirements, working conditions, or market situations.
Ability to quickly respond to new challenges.

Benefits of the team approach:

Increased efficiency: Teamwork and mutual assistance allow us to solve problems faster and better.
Increased motivation: Team members feel responsible and involved in the work process.
Quality improvement: Diversity of views and brainstorming of solutions leads to better results.
Improved communication: Open communication and collaboration reduce the risk of misunderstandings and errors.
Increased customer satisfaction: Quickly respond to changes in customer requirements and consider his needs.
Improved customer satisfaction: A quality product with fewer errors leads to happier customers.

Conclusion

As you already understand, I have given several practical directions for solving the problems of fast, effective, and high-quality release. Testing alone doesn’t handle it well. The problem requires a comprehensive and in-depth approach that can affect the entire development process from requirements definition to delivery to clients. But I believe in you if you read to the end. You have already considered implementing some positive changes in your company. I’ll tell you how to improve the quality of the process and make changes in the next article. Good luck, and may the force of quality be with you. :)

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