This is certainly not the first time I have heard the question, and unlikely to be the last.
Do you know what Quality is when you see it?
There are a lot if ways to define what is meant by Quality, but what I am referring to is the result of following the written or unwritten rule to which compliance ensures a high-quality, repeatable, and consistent product or service is produced or delivered, respectively.
As a developer - or at least when I am wearing that "hat" - Quality is defined as something more than just a procedure to follow, more than a successful result achieved, and even more than the steps to be completed as a part of the task -- it is also the mindset one has when approaching the goal.
So then, what does that mean? Well, for starters, it means more than developing a coded solution that meets the needs of my client. It is also not limited to meeting any legal requirements for the kind of application being produced, as in keeping to the likes of Sarbanes/Oxley. It is all of that, for sure. But what else?
It also takes into account that the logic is being processed in a way that is safe and secure, that sensible coding practices are used to make future modifications not only possible, but practical. And on top of that, the product should be well tested, so that it not only does what it is supposed to do when you do things right, but that it does its best to account for issues caused when doing things the wrong way.
And finally (though perhaps not in total), it needs to be well documented, so that not only can those who come after have an easier time performing modifications, but when legal institutions or Quality organizations come knocking at your door, they can see for themselves that there is nothing to hide. Then, to tighten that up even further, there should be well-defined coding standards, documentation conventions, and naming conventions to follow that tie everything together.
So how does that apply to what you do? Perhaps you paint for a living; do these things apply to you too? You betcha.
See Part 2 for more on this topic.
