Qualitative Techniques

https://bona-iqiniso.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/BON/pages/658767980/Qualitative+Techniques

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A Qualitative technique is a scientific method of observation to gather non-numerical data. This type of technique "refers to the meanings, concepts, definitions, characteristics, metaphors, symbols, and description of things" and not to their "counts or measures".

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Introduction

We explained before in “the methodology”, that Bona Iqiniso uses frameworks and in fact, all qualitative techniques of the Bona Iqiniso methodology are covered by frameworks and common sense.

Context

The context of the qualitative techniques is that a methodology in general and the Bona iqiniso methodology specifically needs to provide a surrounding, an enabling framework for quality, whatever quality may mean.

For Bona Iqiniso, qualitative techniques are there to enable quality in the organization. The framework that supports this goal is the quality assurance framework. Qualitative techniques cover:

• Capture what the organization means by quality

• Capture what the organization wants to achieve

• Break down quality in quality characteristics the organization wants to be implemented

• Capture the requirements, constraints, dependencies, related risk, …

• Determine how to evaluate the quality effort by defining criteria

• Determine the knowledge base

• Determine practices to implement

• Determine learn-path for continuous improvement

• Determine how to assess progress

• Create supporting implementation package

• Determine what to report

• Sustain quality

Concept

Bona Iqiniso believes in a lean approach and therefore we chose to use KAIZEN as an approach for the qualitative techniques.

Continuous Improvement

Kaizen follows this life cycle:

Bona Iqiniso uses self-assess, sort, sweep, standardize and sustain to refer to the 5 phases in the continuous improvement cycle.

Every qualitative technique is present in this continuous improvement life cycle and links to the organization via the quality assurance framework.

Implementation

In the chapter “context”, we mentioned the activities that cover the qualitative techniques and in the chapter “concept”, we mentioned that the approach to implementing these qualitative techniques is via continuous improvement.

Let’s see how context and concept match.

• Self-assess

  • Capture what the organization means by quality: quality framework

  • Capture what the organization wants to achieve: quality assurance framework

• Sort

  • Break down quality in quality characteristics the organization wants to be implemented: quality framework, GQM

• Sweep

  • Capture the requirements, constraints, dependencies, related risk, …: quality assurance framework, reference model framework, risk framework

  • Determine how to evaluate the quality effort by defining criteria: assessment framework

  • Determine the knowledge base: reference framework

  • Determine practices to implement: reference framework

  • Determine learn-path for continuous improvement: improvement framework

  • Determine how to assess progress: assessment framework

• Standardize

  • Create supporting implementation package: improvement framework

  • Implement the practices: quality assurance framework

• Sustain

  • Determine what to report: reporting framework

  • Sustain quality: update content in quality and quality assurance framework

All frameworks used in Bona Iqiniso are glued together to form the qualitative & quantitative techniques of the Bona iqiniso Methodology. Each method that we describe in Bona Iqiniso will contain this overview and although we are no longer going to mention the qualitative & quantitative techniques in the description of these methods, just know that the Bona Iqiniso methodology is set up in such a way that the qualitative & quantitative techniques are implicitly contained.

Following frameworks are part of the qualitative techniques:

• A structured approach – the quality assurance framework

• An organized approach – the quality framework

• A modeled approach – the reference framework

• A reportable approach – the reporting framework

• A monitored approach – the assessment Framework

• A can-do-better approach – the improvement framework

• A risk-based approach – the risk framework

Quality Assurance Framework

The QA framework (quality assurance framework) connects the organization/company to the methodology and will help to implement the methodology in the organization/company.

It provides a framework to define organizational needs, to implement practices/methods to fulfill these needs, to make these methods part of the culture of the organization, part of the quality fabric of the company.

For more detail see the quality assurance framework

Quality Framework

The definition of quality defined by the organization/company will support and organize the implementation efforts. It allows us to categorize and prioritize the qualitative techniques/practices/methods being implemented.

As quality principles, Bona Iqiniso uses some common sense principles. Each of these quality principles will be detailed by a number of quality characteristics that are incorporated into the methods of the Bona Iqiniso Software Testing methodology.

For more detail see the quality framework

Reference Framework

A number of issues in an organization are caused by miscommunications, misinterpretations, ambiguity, misunderstandings. Using a reference framework fixes these problems. On one hand, the reference framework will contain models (miniature representation of something) that allow communicating ideas and solutions unambiguously, and in such a way they cannot be misinterpreted. On the other hand, the reference framework of Bona Iqiniso tells which sources are being used in the construction of the Bona Iqiniso Methodology. This to give Bona Iqiniso a foundation and validity.

For more detail see the reference framework

Reporting Framework

Part of the methods in a methodology must cover how reporting is done in the methodology. Bona Iqiniso created a 3-tier reporting framework:

• Tier-1: The management/company/enterprise – this reporting answers the question: “is the methodology supporting the goals set by the management?”

• Tier-2: The organization/projects/teams – this reporting answers the question: “is the methodology supporting the company’s people (teams) in achieving the goals set by the management?”

• Tier-3: The products – this reporting answers the question: “is the methodology supporting the effective and efficient delivery of products?”

For more detail see the reporting framework

Assessment Framework

You can talk about quality and how to introduce it in the organization, but without a way to assess, to evaluate that quality in the organization, you will never be sure about the quality of your organization.

For more detail see Assessment Framework

Improvement Framework

Bona Iqiniso uses the CMMi framework, but Bona Iqiniso not only makes sure to cover all the prescribed practices mentioned in CMMi, but Bona Iqiniso also makes sure to cover them enough.

For more detail see the improvement framework

Risk Framework

There are a lot of sources where you can find what to do with “risk”, but for Bona Iqniso we simplify.

Bona Iqiniso is about the duality inter/extern software testing. We will treat risk the same way. Risk is aimed at software testing, or it is coming from software testing.

There is a lot of literature about risks aimed at software testing. It is called risk-based testing, but we wouldn’t be Bona iqiniso to better use risk than written down in the existing literature.

We not only will use risk to classify tests and determine how thoroughly to test. We also will use risk to determine which test techniques to use. Testing more thoroughly for Bona Iqiniso is not about writing more test cases, it ‘s about writing the correct test cases and using more data to execute them. We also have a different way of determining risk than other risk classifying methods.

For more detail see the risk framework

Verification

Each method we describe in Bona Iqiniso is built on top of the qualitative techniques. The way that we can verify this is via the assessment of the implementation of the methods. Checklists, questionnaires, peer reviews, audits, interviews, focus groups, forums, … are all ways to make sure the whole organization implements the intended quality.