Key Elements for Onboarding in DQAF

We will now discuss the key elements presented in Digital Quality Assurance Maturity Assessment and Qualification Criteria for Onboarding in DQAF.

Key focus areas for quality assurance for the sample work packets are assessed. The assessment helps gauge the benefits to be achieved by delivering the work in DQAF. Typically, the work packets that are not repeatable in nature and cannot benefit now or in the future from reuse and automation would not be ideal candidates for DQAF.

DQAF enablement functions

The key highlights of DQAF enablement functions include the following:

• Service Catalog: On demand model available in addition to fixed capacity, volume and duration models. Current digital technologies demand for agility, and virtualization requires short releases. Easily accessible service catalog through an online portal enables standard services easily accessible. The KPIs/SLAs applicable for the service are also transparently listed. The service catalog lists various services, such as functional testing (ST, SIT, and E2E testing), performance testing, test automation, virtualization, and other services, along with required input, expected output, unit of measure, price per unit, and the applicable KPIs/SLAs.
• Domain Capability and DCX focus: DQAF acts as an integrated platform in assuring quality of delivery of digital initiatives and covers digital domains—Customer Sales or Service Management, Marketing Management, Omni-Commerce Management, and Business Process management. Adaptability, agility, and accountability in the space of Digital Customer Experience (DCX) Assurance of customer experience with focus on ease of use, user experience and accessibility testing is standard scope for DCX QA.
• Customer Centric Resource Model and Governance offers following features:
  • On-demand reporting dashboards
  • Customer-centric and optimized core resource loading
  • Fungible pool of resources to meet varied demands
  • Skill enablement and SME sourcing

Governance includes regular reporting on KPIs/SLAs and assures productivity efficiencies and predictable gains over the baseline efficiencies, based on volumes of work and service duration.

Typical SLAs tracked include the following things:

• Software Quality (defect leakage to next phase by severity)
• Time to Market (reduction in average time spent in testing)

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) reported among others include test coverage, effort variance, and defect removal efficiency.

• Preconfigured automation Tools, assets, and accelerators: These reduce the lead time for implementing tools/technology and offer quick and focused validations of features and enhancements triggered due to market changes, ensuring high quality in planned or ad hoc releases. The tools can be made available in pay-for-use model over cloud. DQAF offers secure Cloud, Virtualization, Test harness and Test bed services. A dedicated mobile device/channel or an IOT lab is the key enabler for DQAF.
• Pay-per-Use Services: Frequent releases create a need for frequent estimates for a service. Lack of availability and access to key tools/on-demand services compounds this challenge. A pay-per-use model with service pricing predefined as per catalog addresses the challenge of frequent estimations.

DQAF service delivery functions

Digital QA service delivery function handles delivery including agile/DevOps model, work-order resourcing, and reports on SLAs/KPIs and invoices the work in pay-per-use model based on services ordered by the customer using catalog.

The DQAF service delivery function also needs to ensure asset management, knowledge management, training and enablement on training, compliance, security, and data privacy of customer assets and data.

DQAF addresses dynamicity of business processes, leverages reusable assets, offers personalized customer experience, and reduces lead time for performing QA.