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> Resources > The Human Services Professionals > EMSOnline > Quality control  

Quality control

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TQC App Design Quality Control
 
Introduction
 
The TQC App Design Quality Audit Tool is a collaboration between Christine Tiernan of Tiernan Quality Consulting and Damien Ryan-Green of Jandapac.
 
Christine is EMSOnline's consultant expert on quality control, and does not allow coding to commence until the app design (or, in the case of an upgrade, the module design), including the app's built-in user support system, is signed off by both the customer and the coders.
 
If you are checking the quality of an app after coding has commenced, or worse, after it has been released, then you are too late on the scene. This applies in particular to the quality of the user support system built into the app. The time to make sure an app is a quality app is before coding even starts, in the app design.
 
For more information, contact Christine Tiernan on 0419 521 698.
 
How the TQC App Design Quality Audit supports continuous improvement of user support
 
At first glance, an "audit" is a snapshot in time, and it is often the case that audits soon gather dust on shelves.
 
The TQC App Design Quality Audit Tool, however, contains a built-in continuous improvement program for ongoing user support (analogous to getting your car serviced every so often). This program is an online system that for the lifetime of the app checks for gaps in:
  • The quality of the user support offered by an app; and
  • The competencies of staff against the competency requirements of an app.
Then, based on this gap analysis, the system then recommends actions that fall under two categories:
  • Improvements to the app and its user support system; and
  • Targeted training.
The benefits of a user support system
 
The benefits of a user support system seem obvious. However, in reality, we are under constant pressure from clients to push software out to staff with little or no user support. The catchcry is "we can afford software, but we can't afford user support".
 
This usually translates, eventually, to an avoidable help desk call that starts with the phrase "Hi, I've had no training, how do I get started?".
 
Clearly, the user has already been inconvenienced, user acceptance is damaged, and someone is wearing the cost of pseudo-training. But worst of all, the message gets out there that the software is hard to use, when it may well be perfect, but lacking in user support*.
 
*Ask us about a very nice training tool that we once saw rolled out, but was never even 'seen' by more than 5% of staff, simply because the login process was too convoluted.
 
What does a good user support system cover?

The entire journey from installation (during which your local IT person may need support) through to giving users access permissions (the manager will typicaly be the user, at this point) though to data in / data out (managers and staff will be the users here).
 
A good user support system will ensure this journey will be quite automatic, a little like accessing Google: you're in there doing things before you know it, with a minimum of fuss.
 
The TQC App Design Quality Audit

The TQC App Design Quality Audit Tool drives the continuous improvement program. It comprises a survey, as shown below, that checks in on an app at any time, even at the point of quotation, to ensure that:
  • The app and its user support system complies with the risk management requirements of the app (an absence of formal user support is an unacceptable risk); and
  • Project managers are promptly alerted to any 'gaps' in the quality of the app and its user support system, and in the competencies demonstrated by staff.

Last modified at 23/02/2011 23:38  by Damien Ryan-Green