Every year, people use the start of the new year as a chance to better themselves. But while we’re always striving to do so at home, why aren’t we also bettering ourselves in the workplace? And since so much of our time there is spent on computers, improving software quality is just the place to start.
Photo courtesy of Sally Mahoney (Creative Commons – modified)
| Think about it: how many things at your job drive you crazy? Wouldn’t it be nice to fix just one? Well, there’s no better resolution you can make than improving your software quality. |
In case you don’t own a calendar or aren’t a dedicated partier, it’s a brand new year. And aside from Champagne toasts and dinners of pork, apples, and sauerkraut, that means one thing: it’s diet season.
Granted, you probably knew that already. You can’t hardly watch television this time of the year without facing a barrage of weight-loss ads. After all, ‘tis the season of self-betterment.
But while most of us are focusing on how to make our own lives better, why aren’t we thinking about doing the same for our workplace? Considering that the average person will work north of 90,000 hours in their lifetime, a little effort towards improving that environment seems like a pretty worthwhile investment, no? Think about it: how many things at your job drive you crazy? Wouldn’t it be nice to commit to fixing just one?
Well, when it comes to doing so, there might not be a better resolution you can make in 2015 than improving your software quality.
While it’s easy to just think about improved software quality in quantifiably-beneficial terms like significant cost savings, improved user satisfaction, and faster time-to-market, those kinds of things don’t necessarily inspire the kind of fervent enthusiasm that drives action. Sure, hard numbers like those are great for getting upper management to buy in, but you’ve got to buy in first—and to do that, you need to stop thinking about software testing in a business sense and start thinking about it emotionally
Ask yourself: how many times have you lost sleep over a release, worrying it might cripple your system when it goes live? Ever feared for your job security as bad releases, schedule delays, and budget overruns piled up? Poor quality doesn’t simply take a toll on your company’s bottom line; it can have a very real effect on the people who deal with it as well. And that’s something that a simple ROI can never account for.
If this hits close to home, don’t be alarmed: you’re not alone. These are just a couple of the maddening, stress-inducing consequences of poor-quality software; and they can make your life a living Hell. And when you’re not happy at work, you’re generally not happy at home, either. By starting the road to improvement, you won’t just be creating value for your company; you’ll be helping yourself out in the long run—and really, that’s the best kind of resolution you can make for yourself.
Like any other resolution you make, it’s a long road to get where you truly want to be. But, like anything else you set out to improve, the end results will always be worth it. Software quality is a journey, not just a destination.
Just keep in mind: no one ever lost 50 pounds overnight, either.
Cheers,
Mike Hodge
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc
Software Testing | Quality Assurance Consulting | Oracle EBS Consulting
