Practical tips for applying external quality criteria

Align with Stakeholder Needs

Ensure you understand both stated and implied requirements from stakeholders early in the project. Collaborate with product managers, UX/UI designers, and end-users to clarify expectations and requirements, ensuring the system meets real-world needs and delivers value.
Prioritise Usability and User Experience

External quality often involves usability. Design intuitive interfaces and test for ease of navigation and accessibility. Performing user testing throughout development helps identify potential pain points early and ensures that the software meets user expectations.
Focus on Performance Benchmarks

Define performance criteria (such as response time and load capacity) that align with user expectations. Use performance testing tools to validate that your code meets these requirements, especially under load conditions, to maintain a smooth and responsive user experience.
Implement Reliability and Resilience Measures

Reliability is crucial to external quality. Incorporate error handling and failover mechanisms to manage unexpected events gracefully, and conduct regular stress and load testing to confirm system stability under various conditions.
Ensure Security Compliance

Many external quality standards include security as a core aspect. Identify security requirements relevant to your system (such as data encryption and secure authentication) and implement them early. Conduct regular security assessments to confirm your software meets compliance and safeguards user data.
Regularly Review and Validate Requirements

External quality is tied to fulfilling user and stakeholder expectations. Conduct regular reviews with stakeholders to validate that ongoing development aligns with both functional and non-functional requirements, allowing for adjustments before release.
Test Across Environments

Since external quality criteria often relate to deployment environments, test the software in diverse environments (e.g., different devices, browsers, operating systems). This helps identify potential issues that could affect user experience on varying platforms.
Document Quality Requirements and Metrics

Record quality requirements (like usability, performance, and reliability) and associated metrics. Tracking these metrics helps you evaluate if the software meets external quality criteria and provides a basis for continuous improvement.