Quality Measures for Outsourced IT
For outsourced software delivery, it is a best practice to specify software quality requirements in the vendor’s agreement and to perform due diligence by reviewing technical deliverables at regular intervals during development and maintenance. A contract or service level agreement (SLA) may also contain incentives for incrementally improving code quality over time.
The CISQ code quality standards for Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency and Maintainability are strong indicators of the level of risk in system architecture, design and code. Use of the standards with vendors will help your organization focus on software quality measurement earlier in the software development lifecycle to reduce risk and cost. The benefit of having a standard is a common goal for you and your partners to work towards.
Technical deliverables can be reviewed at regular intervals during development, build, maintenance and acquisition. Activities include:
- Measuring the quality and quantity of software delivered
- Analyzing the root cause of risk and prioritizing corrective actions
- Monitoring application/product quality and improving goals over time
- Allocating team resources appropriately
Example Portfolio Analysis: Summary Results for a 3-Month Period
| Assets under management | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Number of Applications | Volume (AFP) | Portfolio Percentage | % Δ (AEP) | Security | Reliability | Performance Efficiency | Maintainability |
| 1 | 23 | 110,000 | 34% | 15% | 2.77 (+2%) | 3.05 (+3%) | 2.80 (+1%) | 3.02 (+2%) |
| 2 | 10 | 45,000 | 14% | 9% | 2.78 (+.08%) | 2.81 (+.05%) | 3.02 (-.02%) | 2.86 (-.04%) |
| 3 | 7 | 30,000 | 9% | 6% | 3.05 (+1.5%) | 3.03 (-1%) | 3.00 (+.08%) | 2.91 (-.05%) |
| 4 | 29 | 140,000 | 43% | 4% | 2.99 (-2%) | 2.97 (-5%) | 3.03 (+1%) | 3.05 (+2%) |