Ways We Can Deliver
Being solution and methodology agnostic allows Qual IT to provide 'best for project' quality assurance across the project lifecycle. That means we don't adopt a 'one size fits all' approach, we assess an individual project's unique requirements and circumstances and align them to your key objectives.
So, whether you're deciding what software development methodology to use,implementing a methodology that's new to you, or you just need some expert guidance and support, you'll benefit from Qual IT's experience and knowledge of the following methodologies:
Waterfall
Let's face it, the Waterfall methodology isn't going anywhere. Although often seen as an older and more conventional methodology, it is still a relevant way to deliver projects as it's traditional, linear approach has clear project phases that are executed, reviewed, and approved before the next stage begins. This has proven to be a successful approach for many clients, because, despite some projects having up-front requirements, some develop them during, and some have a 'non-pragmatic' approach, but mostly all follow a 'What, How, When and Test' process.
Increasingly, organisations are also engaging in a hybrid approach that utilises a Waterfall methodology with Agile based projects, which is still providing good governance foundations.
Agile
Since 2001, Agile has been a widely used term in the project delivery world. With a focus on the delivery of quality software through strong collaboration, iterative practices, and swift feedback, an Agile project is broken into more manageable parts which can be prioritised and delivered faster, whilst maintaining a continuous feedback loop for evolving requirements. Through this, the principle of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is maintained so that, in theory, the software can be deployed at the completion of each iteration.
And because Agile projects rely on the adaptability of people and organisations for successful outcome, Qual IT's specialists have core competencies that they bring to a project ranging from Consulting, Business Analysis, Testing, and Engineering. These specialists work within the values and principles that underpin the Agile methodology such as Scrum, eXtreme Programming (XP), and Kanban to name a few to ensure our deliverables are 'Fit for Purpose'.
So, if you're looking to build empowered, high performing teams, get Qual IT onboard your journey to partner with, support and improve your Agile journey.
DevOps
The latest buzzword, way of delivering, innovation ... whatever you want to call it, DevOps is fast becoming the biggest delivery trend.
Born out of Agile methodology, and using Lean principles, DevOps breaks down traditional software development, deployment, and operational silos to deliver organisational value faster. This streamlined approach achieves this through quick and frequent small changes, pre-planning, collaboration, and often automated tools.
Qual IT specialists can help deliver a DevOps approach that promotes communication, collaboration, and integration between development and operational teams to facilitate rapid, frequent and reliable software building, testing and releasing. Our Consulting and Engineering teams can also help determine the use of specific factors which can help with the foundational phases of DevOps.
The key DevOps delivery and agility phases are:
> Continuous Integration (Cl)
A development practice that requires automated build, unit, integration and acceptance tests for every check-in to create governance and consistency around coding, feature building and version control. With a level of maturity, Cl can help establish a core base to ensure development processes are delivered at a faster pace, and testing can be conducted earlier.
> Continuous Delivery (CD)
Focussed on ensuring software is always in a releasable state throughout the lifecycle , CD takes Cl to the next Ievel, providing fast, automated feedback on the production readiness of a solution. With the aim of reducing time, cost, and delivery risks, this process's incremental changes are a popular measure of the software development lifecycle. As with Cl, CD requires maturity in governance, software development, and test data management to ensure that your software can be delivered quicker.
> Continuous Testing - Test Automation
Continuous Testing supports Cl and CD by executing automated tests as part of the deployment pipeline to obtain immediate feedback on the business risks associated with a software release candidate. An integrated Cl and CD approach is a good candidate for functional testing, for example, unit tests, API, integration, and system testing, and encourages a "shift left" testing strategy.
> Continuous Deployment
Continuous Deployment is a practice used to enable every change that passes automated testing to be automatically deployed to production. Although not widely utilised at the moment due to the number of legacy-based applications or regulatory requirements in organisations, the removal of manual steps in the deployment pipeline can result in multiple deployments per day.
If you're looking to improve the speed, quality and dependability of software delivery through a DevOps methodology, QuaI IT can support your organisation throughout the project lifecycle.
Qual IT can help organisations deliver better results for both their customers and their project team whether it's through a Waterfall, Agile, or DevOps software development methodology.
Independent from which methodology we work with, we understand that your ultimate goal is to achieve a reliable and maintainable product that meets your objectives of an improving and scalable delivery function. Let Qual IT help you realise that goal by utilising our experience and understanding of the principles, benefits, and pitfalls in implementing the above methodologies to support, introduce or implement IT change in your organisation.
Talk to us, today.