| Quality Assurance is perceived as an extra, as | | | | a process we must first have confidence that the |
| overhead and generally, a cost center. To some | | | | process is capable or performing. One of the best |
| extent, this is true. It is an investment in the long | | | | techniques for learning a process and finding the |
| term and quality of your product or service in where | | | | opportunities for improvement is Process Mapping to |
| the value can come back to you in any number of | | | | literally follow the item through the flow and |
| ways and most are not immediate or instant. Let's | | | | documenting when changes occur, when it is waiting |
| take a look at applying LEAN principles to QA and | | | | and when it makes "side trips" for inspection and |
| see if we can improve it just a little. | | | | rework. Having one or more subject matter experts |
| What actually is LEAN? | | | | at your side is a great benefit in this task. No special |
| LEAN is a strategy for reducing cycle time through | | | | tools are needed to make a process map, however, |
| waste elimination. Cycle time is the lapsed time from | | | | there are quite a few available on the open source |
| the start of a process to the end of the process, for | | | | market that are beneficial from a record keeping |
| example in manufacturing Machine Cycle Time and | | | | perspective. Using a sheet of paper and a pencil to |
| Worker Cycle Time. In Software QA we may be | | | | get you started is all I could suggest, when it comes |
| able to consider each inspection station or stop can | | | | time to review, go for Excel or a process mapping |
| be considered a smaller cycle of the entire testing | | | | tool. |
| process or cycle, for example, performance testing is | | | | Process or work improvement |
| one cycle. What is waste in this context? Waste | | | | Traditionally, process improvement is started with the |
| refers to all activities that extend the cycle time but | | | | machine or tool in the process and engineering that |
| do not add value. The objective of Lean is to reduce | | | | tool to perform optimally. The thought behind this |
| the cycle time by eliminating the waste also known | | | | approach is that with good tools the workers are |
| as non-value added activities. Any process or | | | | fitted with all they need to complete the process |
| operation that takes time, resources or space but | | | | effectively and efficiently. While this is a good |
| does not add value to the product or service is | | | | approach, and tools for the job are of paramount |
| waste. | | | | concern, it will generally only impact about 5% of the |
| They typical examples of waste are: | | | | process. For example, we have software that is |
| - Over-Production | | | | written to run on a dual core processor and we are |
| - Waiting | | | | building and testing it on a single core. We improve |
| - Transportation | | | | the system to a dual core, the code runs faster but |
| - Processing | | | | still takes just as long at the beginning and the end of |
| - Inventories | | | | the process in wait time. So the improvement is |
| - Motion | | | | about 5% of the process. How do we impact the |
| - Defective Products | | | | other 95%? By following the process map and finding |
| - Unused Creativity | | | | out why the code waits at the beginning and the end |
| Let's take a look at a sample QA process and see if | | | | would be a great place to start. |
| any of those fit or if there are some others hidden. | | | | What is the Value? |
| The development team completes and releases an | | | | The object of LEAN is to work faster and more |
| application to QA for testing. In this package release, | | | | efficiently, to provide a greater return than just |
| QA expects to find business requirements, release | | | | eliminating defects. How would you know? You take |
| notes, code, and repository information. If any of | | | | your process map and build a value stream to |
| these items is missing, defective or incomplete, we | | | | determine which part of your process holds what |
| have waste. | | | | percentage of the overall value. Evaluate the major |
| But whose waste is it? | | | | process steps and calculate the value add and non |
| Technically, the product is in the hands of QA. Is it a | | | | value add of each. This is also known as JIT or Just |
| "QA problem"? No, but it looks that way to the | | | | In Time. It is pretty common to learn that the |
| project managers, business and customers as the | | | | positive impact is 10% or less. Much of the non value |
| problem was uncovered in QA, so they are 'holding | | | | add may be found in wait time, which is an intangible |
| up the show'. This appears to be two examples of | | | | we tend not to be able to visualize. This is a skill to |
| waste: defective product and waiting for QA, when | | | | develop that will serve you well in this endeavor - |
| in reality, it is one issue - QA did not get what they | | | | learning to see the wait or lost time. |
| needed to perform their task in the cycle. This is | | | | If the issue in our example above could be resolved |
| where the waters get muddy in false perceptions. It | | | | quickly, and the code could move faster at the |
| is important to clearly understand where the waste is | | | | beginning and the end it would give you a hard or |
| coming from before trying to improve it. A good | | | | green impact on your budget. An immediate savings! |
| solution to eliminate this waste of time and resources | | | | What if other items need to take place in order to |
| might be to implement a release manager to be | | | | get the code to the computer faster? These we |
| certain all the items required are passed along to QA. | | | | would call dependencies and they would represent |
| All work is a process | | | | soft savings as other items need to be completed |
| All processes have opportunities for improvement, | | | | before this improvement could be realized in the |
| we just have to learn the process well enough to be | | | | bottom line. |
| able to find those opportunities. In order to improve | | | | |