{"id":16879,"date":"2022-04-11T20:14:49","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T14:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cigniti.com\/blog\/?p=16879"},"modified":"2022-04-11T20:18:46","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T14:48:46","slug":"digital-complexity-paradigm-assurance-speed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cigniti.com\/blog\/digital-complexity-paradigm-assurance-speed\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Complexity Paradigm: Digital Assurance as an Enabler for Speed"},"content":{"rendered":"
I am back with blog 3 in this series!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In <\/span>blog 1<\/span><\/a> I introduced the concept of the Digital Complexity Paradigm (DCP), and in <\/span>blog 2<\/span><\/a>, I broke down the DCP by focusing on the Technical Complexity factor of that formula.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As covered in blog 2, using my favorite \u201cdigital transformation of the broom\u201d example, the Technical Complexity enabling today\u2019s digital is getting more and more challenging, and there is no end in sight. That in itself can be a mountain to climb.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But as most enterprises have found out the hard way, technical complexity is exponentially more of a challenge when we consider the speed at which you need to anticipate and react to the market.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hence, as much as the technology component gets all the attention, we must put an equal focus into the speed at which digital is delivered. And, that is what I am covering in this blog.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>There is a wonderful quote from the blogs of <\/span>Dan North<\/span><\/i><\/b>, \u201c<\/span>The goal of software delivery is to minimize the lead time to business impact. Everything else is detail.<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Never has that statement been more applicable. Entire enterprises have collapsed, CEOs have been fired, major product lines have been discontinued\u2026all because of an inability to move fast.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But the concept of move fast has changed \u2013 and continues to change \u2013 as the compounded result of increased consumer and customer demands reach unparalleled levels AND the competitive landscape in every industry has been turned on its head (thanks a lot to digital natives).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>For the third in this series of blogs, we will focus on the Speed to Market component of the Digital Complexity Paradigm (DCP). Before we jump into the topic, let\u2019s do a quick refresh of the DCP.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Technical complexity (multiplied to the Nth degree) factored against the necessary speed to market (insert \u201cwe needed it yesterday!\u201d being shouted by the CEO). All of this factored against the unquestioned quality that is necessary in any market channel.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>We talked about technical complexity in the last blog. Now let\u2019s break down speed to market.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Many of you might remember the old public service announcement pointed at teen drivers \u2013 \u201cspeed kills\u201d. Well with digital, the opposite it true as you all know \u2013 lack of speed kills.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We can\u2019t look at digital, and digital complexity, without considering speed to market. Nobody is out there pounding on their chest that they got digital \u201cright\u201d, but oh yeah, it took a long time and the competition was faster.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Speed is not a luxury or an option \u2013 it is an absolute imperative and can be considered a prime determining factor of success in the digital age.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The legacy of digital initiatives that failed simply because of being late to market is long and distinguished, and it will continue to grow.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Does anything back up this statement better than Kodak, Blockbuster, and Blackberry\u2026ouch. Yes, somewhat dated stories, but they continue to serve as wonderful reminders when an enterprise is unable to move fast with their digital initiatives.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Back to the crux of <\/span>Dan North<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u2019s statement \u2013 \u201c<\/span>the goal of software delivery is to minimize the lead time to business impact\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know that you can better encapsulate the importance of speed in software development and delivery, and hence, better define the factor of speed as part of the DCP.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Getting something simple into the market quickly is challenging enough \u2013 but what most enterprises are needing to do today is get complex software into the market quickly, and then to do it again and again and again, as the dynamism of every industry demands constant updates of new features and functionality.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Digital Assurance as an Enabler for Speed<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>We talked in blogs 1 & 2 about how the level of Digital Assurance \u2013 both the strategy and the execution \u2013 needs to be directly proportional to the level DCP (<\/span>technical complexity X speed X quality<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The bedrock of digital transformation and digital evolution is Digital Assurance. And it is no different when it comes to the factor of speed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, any enterprise can get software out the door quickly. But what we are talking about \u2013 and the relevance of the DCP \u2013 is that getting that software out the door is not a single dimension challenge.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You can\u2019t simply choose to address any single factor (complexity or speed or quality) without a directly proportional effect on the other two.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Just like in physics, the concept of \u2018inverse proportion\u2019 is equally applicable to software and the DCP. If I focus in increasing speed, I am most likely decreasing quality. If I am increasing quality, I am potentially decreasing speed. If I increase technical complexity, I am decreasing BOTH speed and quality!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The only way to do it ALL is with a proper and proactive Digital Assurance strategy and execution that is directionally proportional to the level of technical complexity, the necessary quality, and for the purpose of this blog, the absolute speed to get to market.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Digital assurance is the complete set of quality engineering practices that cross the digital ecosystem. The discipline (and the engineering aspects) of Digital assurance long ago moved beyond the \u201cquality safety net\u201d paradigm that comes with traditional testing techniques.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rather digital assurance done right will be an enabler of speed for the software development team.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I will leave you with this analogy. If I ask 100 people what the purpose of the breaks on a car is, likely I will get 100 answers that fall into the category of \u201cbreaks slow a car down\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another way to look at it, and how we should look at digital assurance, is that the breaks on a car allow the car to go fast such that the driver has the confidence they can slow down when necessary.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The same is true for digital assurance \u2013 proper digital assurance allows the software development team to go fast as they are able while still assuring the necessary quality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Conclusion<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The shift to digital-first has resulted in enterprises reimagining their business models and customer strategies. A robust <\/span>digital transformation strategy<\/span><\/a> requires a complete makeover of the traditional QA processes and infrastructure.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n