Introduction to Quality and

its Importance

Marieke Guy
UKOLN
M.Guy@ukoln.ac.uk

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/

QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme

What is Quality?
There are so many definitions for Quality.
Quality is…..
• Based on judgments by an individual or
organisation
• Fitness for purpose
• Corresponds to a rating
• Based on acceptable performance
• Meeting goals
• Meeting requirements

QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme

What is Quality Assurance?
What is Quality?
Quality is the ability of your product to be
able to satisfy your users

What is Quality Assurance?

Quality Assurance is the process that
demonstrates your product is able to satisfy
your users

QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme

What is the Aim of QA?
What is the aim of Quality Assurance?
When good Quality Assurance is implemented
there should be improvement in usability and
performance and lessening rates of defects

QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme

What does QA give?
• Quality’ means your project is ‘useful’ -
without ‘quality’ you may have little to
offer
• ‘Quality’ can help to future-proof projects
• But ‘quality assurance’ needs
documented standards and best practices
to be meaningful
• ‘Quality’ & ‘Best Practice’ can be
considered in terms of being ‘Fit for
Purpose’

QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme

Why is QA needed?
In the past JISC had standards-based
philosophy but:
• Approach of "let a 1,000 flowers bloom"
• Diversification as no killer application
Things are different now:
• The Web is the killer application
• There is now a need for interoperability (now
self-contained independent Web sites)
• There is a need for publicly-funded services
to be seen to provide value for money
QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme
What is Quality Control?
Quality Control (QC) is the implementation of
regular testing procedures against your
definitions of quality and more specifically the
refinement of these procedures
• Formal use of testing
• Acting on the results of your tests
• Requires planning, structured tests, good
documentation
• Relates to output - Quality Circle
• Standards - ISO 9000 & BS5750
• however there is currently no such
standard for Web sites
QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme
The Quality Cycle Quality
Control

Create Test
site site

input

output
Quality

Refine Test
site results
Quality
Assurance
QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme
Exercise 2
In small groups carry out Exercise 2:
‘QA Approaches to Identified Problems’

QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme

Questions
Any questions?

QA Focus – Supporting JISC's 5/99 Programme