Strategies and tactics for introducing Application Quality Metrics
The strategy outlined focuses on implementing and monitoring a set of metrics to improve the quality of an application across multiple dimensions such as functionality, usability, performance, reliability, maintainability, and portability. Each dimension has specific strategies with detailed action items designed to enhance that aspect of the application.
For instance, the functionality metrics strategy involves identifying and categorizing all application functionalities, surveying users to evaluate feature conformity, and using feedback to prioritize development efforts. Similarly, the usability metrics strategy emphasizes user onboarding, training materials, and usability testing to streamline the user experience and make the application easier to use.
The performance metrics strategy includes baseline performance testing, continuous monitoring and optimization of code and database queries. Ensuring reliability involves logging system failures, implementing failover mechanisms, and developing a fast system repair protocol. Maintaining high code readability standards and using static code analysis tools are central to improving maintainability. Portability strategies focus on ensuring compatibility across different platforms and developing modular architecture to ease platform migrations.
The strategies
⛳️ Strategy 1: Measure functionality metrics
- Identify all functionality provided by the application, including core and additional features
- Classify functionalities into categories (e.g. report creation, performance assessment, notifications)
- Conduct user need assessments to determine relevance of each functionality
- Survey users to evaluate the conformity of features to their needs
- Create a scoring system to measure feature suitability
- Review user feedback regularly to identify new functionality requirements
- Prioritise development efforts to address mismatched functionality
- Use analytics tools to track usage of each functionality
- Conduct workshops or focus groups to validate the necessity of new features
- Regularly update documentation to reflect available features and their suitability
⛳️ Strategy 2: Enhance usability metrics
- Create a thorough user onboarding process to reduce learning time
- Develop user training materials and video tutorials
- Conduct usability testing sessions with new users to measure learning time
- Implement user surveys to gauge ease of use
- Analyse survey results to identify usability pain points
- Streamline commonly used workflows to reduce the number of clicks required
- Implement A/B testing to compare different user interface designs
- Regularly review and update user interface based on usability feedback
- Provide an in-app help feature for real-time assistance
- Track and analyse user session data to find opportunities for usability improvements
⛳️ Strategy 3: Optimise performance metrics
- Perform baseline performance testing to determine current response times
- Set target response times for critical user actions
- Implement monitoring tools to track response times continuously
- Conduct load testing to determine application throughput under various conditions
- Optimise code to enhance throughput capabilities
- Use profiling tools to identify and address bottlenecks in resource utilisation
- Implement caching strategies to improve response times
- Review and optimise database queries and access patterns
- Regularly update hardware and software to maintain optimal performance
- Document performance trends and improvement measures
⛳️ Strategy 4: Ensure reliability metrics
- Log all system failures and analyse root causes
- Implement redundancy and failover mechanisms to increase MTBF
- Schedule regular maintenance checks to preemptively address potential failures
- Develop a fast and effective system repair protocol to reduce MTTR
- Maintain a comprehensive knowledge base for troubleshooting common issues
- Train team members in quick diagnosis and repair techniques
- Implement continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to reduce risk of failure during updates
- Monitor system availability metrics continuously
- Automate system health checks to ensure high availability
- Regularly update and test disaster recovery plans
⛳️ Strategy 5: Improve maintainability metrics
- Conduct code reviews to ensure high code readability standards
- Implement coding standards and guidelines to maintain consistency
- Use static code analysis tools to measure and manage code complexity
- Refactor code regularly to simplify complex sections
- Maintain comprehensive documentation for the codebase
- Use automated testing frameworks to identify and fix bugs promptly
- Track fix times for bugs and aim to reduce this metric over time
- Implement a version control system to manage code changes effectively
- Encourage pair programming to improve knowledge sharing and code quality
- Conduct technical debt assessments and prioritise addressing high-impact areas
⛳️ Strategy 6: Ensure portability metrics
- Test application compatibility across different platforms (web, iOS, Android)
- Implement a modular architecture to enhance platform compatibility
- Document platform-specific requirements and adjustments needed
- Use cross-platform development frameworks where appropriate
- Develop platform-specific testing protocols to ensure consistent behaviour
- Monitor user feedback on different platforms to detect compatibility issues
- Create a detailed migration plan for moving to new platforms
- Perform pilot migrations to identify and solve potential issues
- Maintain a repository of compatibility and migration issues
- Regularly review and update portability plans based on new platform developments
Bringing accountability to your strategy
It's one thing to have a plan, it's another to stick to it. We hope that the examples above will help you get started with your own strategy, but we also know that it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day effort.
That's why we built Tability: to help you track your progress, keep your team aligned, and make sure you're always moving in the right direction.
Give it a try and see how it can help you bring accountability to your strategy.
