5M1E, the best solution for software qualitymanagement

-Howto make a good product？

-Users,needs, culture, value, design and process are indispensable.

-So,how to do an excellent job in product quality management？

-People,machines, materials, methods, environment and measurement are alsoindispensable.

Factorsthat can affect the fluctuation of product quality include the followingaspects: man, machine, material, method, environment and measurement. This isthe 5M1E of product quality management.

Initially,the 5M1E analysis method was used in the quality management process ofmanufacturing parts in the production workshop to reduce costs and improve theoverall efficiency and quality of the operating system through the improvementof the quality of operating procedures. After a period of implementation, the5M1E analysis method has helped workshop managers achieve great success inquality management. With the broader and broader application of lean in thesoftware industry, people gradually find that the 5M1E product qualitymanagement analysis method has infinite potential in software research anddevelopment.

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1.Man

In terms of operators, the product quality may bereduced due to the boredom, lack of awareness and unskilled operation ofoperators.

Similarly, in the process of software R&D, it isalso necessary to minimize the quality risk in terms of personnel. So how tomanage man？

·Firstly, the Manager should improve the R & Dskills, business literacy and R & D quality awareness of R & Dpersonnel through publicity and training. Through R & D personnel toconsciously strengthen the quality awareness, thus improving thecontrollability.

·Secondly, strengthen the communication in the R &D process, make the work transparent, and reduce the product design defectscaused by inconvenient communication and process conflict.

·Then, clarify the "self-management" andspecifically implement the responsibility to the individual. Avoid theseparation of quality and R & D, mobilize the enthusiasm of R & Dpersonnel and improve the sense of participation and responsibility of R &D personnel.

·Finally, actively verify and clarify user needs. Avoidthe situation that the product design can not meet the needs of users.

2.Machine

In terms of machinery and equipment, equipment lossand performance testing problems will also affect product quality.

In terms of software R & D, rational use of toolswill also improve product quality, such as:

·It is convenient to view and manage project progressand personnel status through project management tools;

·Build a test management tool to facilitate writing andlater tracking use cases and viewing test details;

·Make good use of automatic testing tools, reducemanual testing costs and improve testing efficiency.

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3.Material

In the actual product production process, the raw materials provided by the supplier determine the quality of the delivered products. In general, raw materials need to be marked with the source and only be used in the production process after passing the quality inspection.
Similarly, before writing code, the product manager needs to clarify the requirements and design the prototype. Unlike many assembly-line products built by the traditional manufacturing industry, the demand for software products is constantly changing. Suppose the initial demand is not apparent, or the demand changed midway is not synchronized to the hands of R & D personnel. In that case, it is impossible to control the product quality/value of software.
How to control the "material" of the software?
On the one hand, the product manager needs to strictly record the requirements, evaluate the feasibility and make a good product plan.
On the other hand, the product manager should bridge the gap between the R & D personnel and the actual customers (users) to reduce the distortion of demand delivery. After all, some requirements deteriorate with words.

4. Method

To reduce the impact of process methods on product quality, lean production decides to realize "automation," adding automatic machines in the production process. For example, when the pipeline is abnormal, the machine itself can sense and stop in time. Through "automation," we can ensure safety and product quality. In addition, lean production will ensure the quality of many products by "minimizing the batch and quickly changing the mold."

The "method" in 5M1E means that the R & D team should pay enough attention to code specification: whether naming specification, format specification, log specification or unit test coverage, it is an excellent weapon to ensure code quality. At the same time, you should "refactor boldly and test carefully" when you see destructive code.

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5. Environment

The environment generally refers to the temperature, humidity, noise interference, vibration, lighting, indoor purification and on-site pollution of the production site. In addition to ensuring the unique requirements of products for environmental conditions, we should also do an excellent job in site sorting, rectification and cleaning, vigorously do an excellent job in civilized production, and create conditions for the sustainable production of high-quality products.
In addition to ensuring the cleanliness of the necessary office environment, software R & D also ensures the cleanliness of the virtual environment. This part will be carried out in detail in the article "5S management".I want to emphasize that the team should work in the same place as possible and conduct good communication and exchange to avoid information island.

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6. Measure

During measurement, pay attention to the selection ofinstruments, measurement dimensions, measurement standards, etc.

Whether it is the measurement of the traditionalmanufacturing industry or the testing of the software industry, the purpose isto find problems and prove the existence of problems to make the productsperfect.

Specifically, how to do it?

·Firstly, ensure the standardization of the testprocess: extract test requirements - write test cases - test execution - submitbugs - bug verification tracking - regression testing - acceptance - generatetest reports;

·Secondly, write reasonable test cases through variousmethods, such as equivalence class division, cause and effect diagram method,scenario analysis method, orthogonal analysis method, path coverage, logiccoverage, statement coverage, etc.;

·Finally, ensure the breadth and depth of use cases andthe adequacy of test execution.

With the gradual increase of each process link, the5M1E product quality management analysis method can help the team quicklyidentify the problem in which link. However, the method only plays an auxiliaryrole. In practice, we still need to integrate and continuously optimize andimprove the product delivery process.

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