Quality lives at the heart of everything we do at Calls9, and we value the great work our team does and the customers who trust us to be at the heart of the transformation of their businesses.
Let’s start at the beginning -
What is the difference between Quality Assurance and Quality Control?
Quality Assurance (QA) is ensuring that quality requirements will be fulfilled – the product will be “fit for purpose” and made “right” the first time (the setup and preparation ahead of beginning the work). Quality Control (QC) is the process of fulfilling quality requirements by thoroughly reviewing and testing all factors.
In simple terms - QA is the documentation, training and change control, whereas QC is the review and testing. Below we have some examples of QA and QC processes we have to bring this idea to life for you.
Some Quality Assurance processes we have in place
No two projects are the same. But we have some fundamental ways of working that ensure quality underpins what we do- from the way we gather requirements to how we brief our teams. Below is a basic introduction to some of the fundamentals of quality assurance and control at Calls9.
Briefing
We use the Calls9 Fusion process to uncover the brief. We then formalise this into a creative brief or technical specification if required. We work collaboratively at each stage of these processes to ensure we are positively questioning and making the right choices, scoping the detail of the work with the customer (Roadmapping) and researching along the way.
Quoting
As part of the Calls9 Fusion process, we estimate together. This means that the team working on the project make the decisions on the timing. We transparently add Project Management and Quality Control time so the time a customer sees is accurate- with no surprises.
Documentation
We ensure everything we do works for our customers, so our Calls9 Fusion process is:
- Visual
- Auditory
- Kinesthetic
Meaning whatever way you best take in information, it works for you! This is then supported by digital documentation for reference and review by all.
Change requests
We have a system for documenting and agreeing on new out of scope work. If it is a more significant change it gets scoped in a Roadmap session, quoted and agreed with the customer.
Creating a test plan
Our Testers will create a test plan alongside the project PM against user stories created in the original Fusion sessions. This will be shared with the customer early in the development process and can be added to throughout the development until it is robust enough to test all success criteria and user cases.
Some of our different types of Quality Control processes
Our quality procedures take different forms depending on the project/ where it is within the project lifecycle. The key thing is that everyone knows their responsibilities, and we all know that no work leaves the business without a second set of eyes on it. This is not because we do not trust or want to empower our team. It is the opposite, we respect each member of the team and their work, and for that reason, we want to ensure it is the best it can be, delighting our customers each time!
Creative review
This is a second person reviewing the creative (that could be a prototype/wireframes/design) with the person who created them. They should be presented as they would be to a customer, explaining UX/design choices. The person reviewing will then check this against the scope of work created in the Fusion sessions and the creative brief, positively question and ensure any tweaks are made before sharing with the developers. Developers must see any creative for web/app builds before it goes to the customer.
Proofreading/Checking against the brief
Consistency is key, and this is why we use tools to support our change requests and amendments so our PM’s can better keep the team on track! We document changes and check against them (e.g. making a change to a universal element, ensuring it is on every page of the wireframe).
Code reviews
We have high code development standards, and all our work is code reviewed by a senior developer before being committed.
Testing
Testing could be an article on its own! However, a short version of what we do is:
- Our developers all test their work in multiple browsers. This is essential as it encourages them to consider their work and check against the user stories. It also speeds up the process of finding issues (or features- as they like to call them!)
- Once they are happy with the work, they will share this with the Tester to review against an agreed test plan (see above), including the devices/ browsers for testing against.
- Once they are happy with the work, they will share this with the PM to review user stories.
- We can do manual and automated testing, depending on the project type and development process. The site/ app/ portal/ software will be handed to the customer for User Acceptance Testing against the test plan- ready for sign off.
Like the way we work? Want to know more? Why not get in touch today to see how Calls9 can help you with your next project? Or, if you’re looking for a career change then take a look at our open roles, or get in touch directly, we are always happy to hear from great people.
