Vendor Quality Management (VQM) and IV&V

Home

Lighthouse's software vendor quality management minimizes the risk when outsourcing software development projects.

As independent software testing experts, Lighthouse steps in with software vendor quality management and independent verification and validation (IV&V) solutions that assure high-quality software systems from client’s vendors. Lighthouse can assess and benchmark your vendor’s performance, establish a quality metrics system, and identify specific risk factors that will lead to unexpected software development cost increases and project delays.


BRITEmeasure — Baseline Vendor’s Current Performance
In our experience, success cannot take place without first assessing the vendor’s current performance. For troubled projects, Lighthouse’s experienced software quality assurance team performs a baseline assessment to identify potential risk factors and identify drivers for productivity and predictability. For new projects, the Lighthouse team assesses the RFP and proposals, and performs a detailed analysis of the vendor’s past performance. As part of its assessment process, the Lighthouse team evaluates the contract, gathers productivity expectations, performs a function point analysis to size the software system, and reviews the software vendor’s performance across 17 functional areas. Lighthouse compares the project with a series of industry benchmarks and then integrates all of this information to set expectations on software development cost, schedule, effort, and quality. For troubled projects, the software QA team develops a productivity road map with pragmatic detailed recommendations for improving the project’s performance, reducing the software development cost and shortening the schedule … all while increasing software quality.

BRITEassure — Implement to Drive Improvements
The Lighthouse software QA team implements the road map first by addressing the “big boulders.” This often starts with recommendations for improving the vendor’s contract by adding measurable quality criteria and penalties for delivering too many defects to the client’s User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process. A software metrics program is established and continually reported to assure continuous visibility and allow for course corrections. The Lighthouse software QA team inspects each work product and reports on its quality vs. contractual commitments. If poor quality is identified, Lighthouse reports the likely impact to the project’s cost and schedule. As the vendor commits to process improvements, Lighthouse performs “health checks” (or mini-assessments) at scheduled intervals to monitor their progress, report on results and address any external factors that might cause the road map to be modified. And, if needed, Lighthouse subject matter experts are available to offer guidance to perform deep dives into high-risk areas.

BRITEquality — Removing Defects Early Saves Unplanned Rework
With a strong contract in place, the Lighthouse software quality assurance (QA) team can take an active role in your software project assuring that defects are identified early in your software development life cycle. On average, a defect in the U.S. costs $250 to find and fix. Should that defect leak into the next development phase, it is projected to cost $1,250, and will likely cost $6,000 in the subsequent phase. Lighthouse’s software QA inspection and testing techniques find these defects early, saving thousands of dollars for each defect. The software QA team uses a series of document inspections, stringent phase gates, tools, and code analysis to identify these defects.

And of course, Lighthouse can finish the project by performing system testing and UAT testing on the final deliverable, completing the software testing life cycle.

Full Life Cycle Quality/IV&V
Lighthouse can deliver all of the BRITEmeasure, BRITEassure, and BRITEquality processes and tools as an ongoing vendor quality management service for you, or we can package it for you as a full software testing life cycle quality management system (QMS) that you execute. For large enterprise systems, Lighthouse software quality assurance (QA) teams also provide these services as independent verification and validation (IV&V).

With our full suite of software vendor quality management services, you can rest comfortably that your vendor will deliver maximum software quality while minimizing cost and time to market. Don’t risk project overruns and poor software quality.
 

Vendor Quality Management and Software Quality Resources


Call Lighthouse today if you want software vendor quality management that delivers results: (937) 458-0055. Ask how Lighthouse's vendor quality management can improve your bottom line. 

Need software testers or Oracle ERP expertise?  Click for more details.