Quality software on a shoestring

When it comes to quality, small companies are often at a disadvantage. They want to get a better grip on their quality assurance issues, and they want software help in doing it, but they can't justify a thousand dollars here and two thousand there as an initial upfront investment. What to do?

If your business falls into this category, first take a long, hard look at exactly what your priority needs are. Those thousands of dollars spent on top-name products will certainly get you top quality, maximum power, first-rate support, luxurious interfaces and the latest and most subtle algorithms; but will it actually get you what you need to have and know how to use best? When you buy a vehicle for your business, you don't usually go for a Formula One racing car. For the same very good reasons, chances are you probably don't need software capable of running the economy of a small country.

Before rushing off to buy anything, ask yourself two pertinent questions, and answer them honestly:

• How much expertise do you have in the field you're trying to enhance with this software?

• How much time and effort are you prepared to invest to reduce your investment in dollars

Software is like any power tool: It dramatically increases your reach, but it doesn't necessarily give you the skill to use that reach wisely. If your new software is going to be a benefit to your business, you must either already have the knowledge to use it well or be prepared to acquire that knowledge. That needn't be as intimidating as it sounds; contributors regularly offer tutorials in the pages of Quality Digest, excellent books are available and your local community college offers courses that will give you a quick start on the road to productivity.

You'll need to decide what area of work you want to concentrate on first; better to pick off one priority at a time, and do it well, than to try doing everything at once. My own area of expertise is statistical analysis, and because it's the subject that most of my clients want to know more about, I'll start there. The area in which they need the most help as they learn new software methods is general organization of their quality assurance efforts, so I'll finish up with that. [Read more]