Complete Guide to IT Quality Management

In many IT functions, quality is treated as a testing activity at the end of a project. Requirements are unclear, quality attributes such as security, performance and usability are not specified, testing is squeezed when deadlines slip, and service operations inherit systems they cannot support. Quality metrics, where they exist, count defects rather than explain why they occur, so the same problems return release after release.

This programme treats IT quality as a management system rather than a single phase. It moves through five stages: setting up quality management for the IT function, defining quality requirements for systems and software, building quality into development and delivery, assuring and testing products and services, and measuring and improving processes over time.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references ISO 9001 quality management principles, the ISO/IEC 25010:2023 product quality model, the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 series on software testing, ISO/IEC 20000-1 for IT service management, the ITIL 4 framework, and process improvement approaches such as CMMI, Lean and root cause analysis. Participants learn how to combine them in a practical way, not only what each one says.

Decisions this programme improves. Which quality attributes to specify for a system and how to verify them; how much testing is enough for a given risk; what quality gates a release must pass; which metrics to report; where to invest in automation; and which process improvements will reduce defects and incidents most.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: a digital service project moving from requirements through development and release into operation. Participants write quality requirements, design a risk-based test strategy, define release criteria, analyse incident and defect data and prepare a quality improvement plan.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own development methods, tools, service management processes and quality objectives, and delivered for development, testing, operations and PMO teams together.

Who Should Attend

IT managers and team leaders: development, testing and operations managers

Quality assurance professionals: QA analysts, test leads and quality coordinators in IT

IT project and product managers responsible for delivering systems that meet user needs

Business analysts who define requirements and acceptance criteria

Service management staff: service delivery, service desk and problem managers

Objectives

Explain how quality management principles apply to IT projects, products and services

Prepare a quality plan with objectives, roles, standards and quality gates for an IT initiative

Specify measurable quality requirements using the ISO/IEC 25010 product quality characteristics

Apply reviews, inspections and static analysis to find defects early

Design a risk-based test strategy covering functional and non-functional testing

Define release acceptance criteria and evaluate whether a release is ready

Link service quality to service level agreements and IT service management practices

Select and interpret IT quality metrics for defects, delivery and service performance

Carry out root cause analysis and propose process improvements based on evidence

Course Outline

Quality Management for the IT Function

Quality concepts: conformance, fitness for use and cost of quality
ISO 9001 principles applied to IT organisations
Quality roles in project, product and service teams
Quality planning, quality gates and documentation
Quality in agile, DevOps and traditional delivery models
Building a quality culture in IT teams

Defining Quality: Requirements and Quality Attributes

Requirements quality: clarity, completeness and testability
ISO/IEC 25010:2023 product quality characteristics
Non-functional requirements: security, performance, reliability, usability and maintainability
Acceptance criteria and definition of done
Traceability from requirements to tests

Building Quality In: Development and Delivery Practices

Reviews, inspections and pair work
Coding standards, static analysis and secure development practices
Configuration and change management
Continuous integration and delivery pipelines with automated checks
Managing technical debt
Supplier and outsourced development quality

Assuring Products and Services: Testing and Operational Quality

Test processes and documentation under the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 series
Risk-based testing and test levels
Test automation: where it pays and where it does not
Performance and security testing essentials
Release readiness and acceptance decisions
Service quality under ISO/IEC 20000-1 and ITIL 4: service levels, incidents and problems
AI-assisted testing and AI-based systems: opportunities and quality risks

Measuring and Improving IT Quality

IT quality metrics: defect density, escape rates, delivery and service indicators
Dashboards and quality reporting to management
Root cause analysis of defects and incidents
Process improvement models: CMMI, Lean and Plan-Do-Check-Act
Internal quality audits and lessons learned
Action plan: improving quality in your IT organisation

Competencies

IT quality planning and quality gates

Software product quality requirements

Reviews, inspections and static analysis

Risk-based test strategy

Release readiness assessment

IT service quality and service levels

IT quality metrics and reporting

Root cause analysis of defects and incidents

IT process improvement

London

Access Elite Academy’s complete training portfolio in London. As one of the world’s leading centers for business, finance, professional services and executive learning, the city provides a strong setting for organizations and professionals seeking expert-led learning, with upcoming scheduled courses and other programs available on request. London is one of Elite Academy’s international training destinations and gives organizations and professionals access to our complete portfolio of training programs across all disciplines. As one of the world’s leading centers for business, finance, professional services and executive learning, the city offers a professional setting for focused learning. Participants can choose from upcoming scheduled courses in London or request any other program from the Elite Academy portfolio to be arranged in the city, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. Browse the upcoming schedule below or explore our training areas to identify the program that best matches your organization’s development priorities or your own professional goals.