Session Title : A "Quality" Debate - Rethinking the mindset for non-negotiable Quality in Software Products Session Overview : One of the key reasons for embracing agility is faster feedback which helps improve the perceived quality of a software product. And every team is focused towards delivering quality, no one wakes up in the morning with an idea to introduce defects, we naturally ideate to solve problems. Unknowingly though, dysfunctions always creep in and identifying a dysfunction is extremely difficult especially when you are a part of the dysfunction. In this 45 min talk, discussion is about the importance of quality and how it's no longer negotiable even if Project Management principles tell us otherwise. Stories from past experience, and from organisations ranging from GM to Mumbai Dabbawalas that have embraced the "Quality is not Negotiable" principle and seen the difference. I present the context of defect severity and how these may create an illusion of quality; how accountability of a single person (e.g.: Product Owner) may result in a "Lack of Commitment" dysfunction; and how cost is not really proportional to quality especially when it comes to delivering virtual products and services related to it.

1. A “Quality” Debate
Rethinking the mindset for non-negotiable Quality in
Software Products
- Vishal Prasad
Product Development Consultant
@AgileMaven
This presentation contains copyright free images from Pexels and Google.

2. Story of The Innovation Lab
Post that, the client
had a choice to
continue; and the SOW
was to provide them a
flavour of Agile &
DevOps while building
a useable prototype.
On 3rd August 2018, I
met Stella (a
successful project
manager & an author)
who’s heading the
innovation lab for a
popular product org.
I was invited by an
ex-colleague who was
looking for a
consultant who can
execute a 5 week
engagement with their
client.
Here’s an extract from our conversation:

3. Stella: The idea is simple, we call in the
customer’s cross-functional team to our
innovation lab for 5 weeks and the SOW
states that we have to acquaint them with
hands-on Agile and DevOps practices while
building a useable prototype so that they can
continue even without us after 5 weeks.

4. Stella: The idea is simple, we call in the
customer’s cross-functional team to our
innovation lab for 5 weeks and the SOW
states that we have to acquaint them with
hands-on Agile and DevOps practices while
building a useable prototype so that they can
continue even without us after 5 weeks.
Vishal: Great, how can I help?

5. Stella: The idea is simple, we call in the
customer’s cross-functional team to our
innovation lab for 5 weeks and the SOW
states that we have to acquaint them with
hands-on Agile and DevOps practices while
building a useable prototype so that they can
continue even without us after 5 weeks.
Vishal: Great, how can I help?
Stella: What do you suggest we
teach and build?

6. Vishal: Well, what you build will
be decided by the Product Owner.

7. Vishal: Well, what you build will
be decided by the Product Owner.
Stella: We don’t have one, it’s costly
for a 5 week engagement. It’s a heavy
investment for a prototype.

8. Vishal: Well, what you build will
be decided by the Product Owner.
Stella: We don’t have one, it’s costly
for a 5 week assignment. It’s a heavy
investment for a prototype.
Vishal: Okay, if your SOW states DevOps, there’s some
groundwork that’ll be needed. You can manage the
scope of your DevOps implementation, but I’ll suggest
you begin with automated testing, preferably TDD.

9. Vishal: Well, what you build will
be decided by the Product Owner.
Stella: We don’t have one, it’s costly
for a 5 week assignment. It’s a heavy
investment for a prototype.
Vishal: Okay, if your SOW states DevOps, there’s some
groundwork that’ll be needed. You can manage the
scope of your DevOps implementation, but I’ll suggest
you begin with automated testing, preferably TDD.
Stella: That’ll be difficult. We have only 5
weeks and testing is time consuming. We
have to deliver the prototype as well.

10. Vishal: How will you verify if
your Continuous Integration was
successful without tests?

11. Vishal: How will you verify if
your Continuous Integration was
successful without tests?
Stella: Since we just need to teach
the concept and not really have it
in place, we’ll have a tech lead
merge the code from developer
branches twice everyday. As a
project manager, it’s my expectation
that the tech lead makes sure that
the integration is successful.

12. Vishal:

13. Vishal:
Stella: It’s acceptable considering the
boundaries of our cost, scope, and time.

14. What is it?

15. It’s Subjective

16. It’s Subjective
It’s Relative

17. Cost
Scope Time

18. but Quality is not
negotiable

19. but Quality is not
negotiable, we have
heard this over

20. but Quality is not
negotiable, we have
heard this over, and
over

21. but Quality is not
negotiable, we have
heard this over, and
over, and over again
by everyone
We want
Quality
We do not like
paying for poor
products &
services.

22. Today, I’ll
introduce 3
defects in my
source code.

23. Then how do
we end up
building crappy
(read legacy)
products at
times?

24. For instance: if a couple of
stories in an iteration are
found to have defects just
before the iteration is to
close, what do you do?

25. Introducing my
list of top 3
anti-patterns
that result in
poor Quality
standards.

26. At # 3:
It depends on
the severity of
the defect.

27. My Show Stopper from 2009

28. My Minor Defect from 2013

29. At # 2:
The Product
Owner is
accountable.

30. We’ve seen this happen

31. When do you identify that it’s critical? August 2017

32. What is a Critical Application?

33. What is a Critical Application?

34. At # 1:
Quality is
directly
proportional
to cost.

35. How safe would you like to be?
Mercedes Maruti Suzuki

36. Which one has a better software?

37. The cost isn't defined by the craftsmanship of the engineers rather the raw
materials utilised define the cost.

38. The cost isn't defined by the craftsmanship of the engineers rather the raw
materials utilised define the cost.
Shouldn’t an experienced developer logically deliver better results than a
newbie?

39. The cost isn't defined by the craftsmanship of the engineers rather the raw
materials utilised define the cost.
Shouldn’t an experienced developer logically deliver better results than a
newbie?
Let's define the raw materials for software craftsmanship: adequate training that
up-skills engineers, latests bug free libraries, investment in information
radiators, good management practices, etc.

40. The cost isn't defined by the craftsmanship of the engineers rather the raw
materials utilised define the cost.
Shouldn’t an experienced developer logically deliver better results than a
newbie?
Let's define the raw materials for software craftsmanship: adequate training that
up-skills engineers, latests bug free libraries, investment in information
radiators, good management practices, etc.
The Project Management triangle is not incorrect; when it comes to software,
our approach towards the triangle may not be correct.

41. The cost isn't defined by the craftsmanship of the engineers rather the raw
materials utilised define the cost.
Shouldn’t an experienced developer logically deliver better results than a
newbie?
Let's define the raw materials for software craftsmanship: adequate training that
up-skills engineers, latests bug free libraries, investment in information
radiators, good management practices, etc.
The Project Management triangle is not incorrect; when it comes to software,
our approach towards the triangle may not be correct.
Quality (craftsmanship) is NOT negotiable!

42. “When it comes to standards, as
a leader, it’s not what you
preach, it’s what you tolerate.”
- Jocko Willink & Lief Babin
(Extreme Ownership)

43. Thank you.