Evolutionary Quality

Start-ups that focus on perfect maintainability from the outset often fail - while established systems suffocate due to a lack of maintainability. The reason: quality goals are not static, but evolve with the product life cycle. What is considered a waste of time in the genesis phase becomes a question of survival in the scaling phase. The problem is exacerbated because different roles prioritize different aspects of quality - and at a certain point, responsibility switches from externally visible to internal quality characteristics that are no longer within the grasp of product managers.

Podcast Episode: Evolutionary Quality

Evolutionary quality refers to the adaptation of software qualities through different phases of evolution: Creation, Customization, Product, and Commodity. In each phase, certain qualities are important in order to further develop the software and respond to market needs. In the development phase, for example, the focus is on functional suitability, while security and maintainability become more important in the product phase. Evolutionary quality helps developers to understand which quality aspects should be prioritized in which phase in order to ensure the success of the software product.

“You also have to admit that you need a bit of restraint from time to time.” - Markus Harrer

Markus Harrer has been working in software development for several years and is mainly active in conservative industries. As a senior consultant, he helps to develop and improve software in a sustainable and economically viable way. He is an active contributor to communities on the topics of software analytics, software architecture, software remediation and Wardley Maps. He is also an accredited trainer for the iSAQB Foundation Level and the advanced level module IMPROVE.

Highlights der Episode

• Software quality goals are changing: functionality at the beginning, maintainability only important as teams grow.
• Startups don’t need to develop maintainability right away - it comes later as teams grow.
• Product owners do not understand maintainability - developers need new arguments such as lead-time metrics.
• External qualities (usability) come before internal ones (maintainability) - this explains role conflicts in the team.
• Security only becomes relevant when demanding customers require deletion concepts and single sign-on.

Evolutionary quality: How software quality goals evolve

Today I’m talking to Markus Harrer about the concept of evolutionary quality objectives in software development. He explains how quality goals change throughout the product cycle and what impact this has on development and testing. An exciting insight into the dynamic world of software quality, enriched by Markus’ extensive experience from various projects.

The voyage of discovery begins

Welcome to a new episode of our podcast, where today we explore the topic of evolutionary quality goals. I’m pleased to welcome Markus Harrer, an expert in software architecture, who takes us on a journey of discovery through the changing landscapes of software quality. Markus’ perspectives on adapting quality goals throughout the product lifecycle offer valuable insights not only for developers and testers, but also for anyone interested in the evolution of software.

The evolution of the understanding of quality

Markus takes us through his observations from a wide range of projects, from start-ups to large companies. He shares his insights on how different the requirements for quality are in different phases of the software lifecycle. Using real examples, he explains how quality goals shift from the genesis of a product to the maturity phase and the impact this has on development and testing strategies.

Understanding the evolutionary model

At the heart of his presentation, Markus introduces the evolution model, which divides the product cycle into different phases: Genesis, Customization, Product and finally Commodity. Each phase requires its own approach to quality and brings its own challenges. Discussing this model opens our eyes to the need to react flexibly to changing quality requirements.

Quality as a dynamic goal

One of the key aspects is the realization that quality is not a static goal, but rather develops dynamically. Markus emphasizes the importance of adaptability and shows how important it is to continuously question and re-evaluate quality goals. His approach makes it clear that a flexible attitude towards quality not only helps to improve the product, but also leads to increased efficiency in the development process.

Practical advice for developers and testers

Markus shares practical tips on how to deal with the challenges arising from the concept of evolutionary quality as a developer or tester. He emphasizes the importance of understanding roles within a team and gives advice on effective communication between different stakeholders regarding quality expectations.

A new perspective on quality

The concept of evolutionary quality opens up a new perspective on how we should approach quality in our projects. It highlights the importance of flexibility and adaptability in a constantly changing environment.