Metrics, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement
4.6 Metrics, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement¶
4.6.1 Metrics¶
Every project should collect a minimal but meaningful set of metrics. The focus is not on tracking everything, but on getting the right insights to make decisions.
- Test coverage
- How much of the system is tested?
- Can be measured as % of requirements covered by tests or % of code covered by automated tests.
- Helps ensure we are not leaving critical areas untested.
- Bug trends
- Track the number of bugs found, fixed, and outstanding.
- Must include severity levels (Critical, Major, Minor) to show the impact.
- Also look at bug leakage (issues found after release that escaped testing).
- This helps understand both product quality and testing effectiveness.
- Automation rate
- Percentage of test cases automated vs. manual.
- Helps measure progress toward more efficient regression testing and faster releases.
- Performance benchmarks
- Response time under normal load.
- System behaviour under peak load.
- Stability and resource usage (memory, CPU, etc.).
- Ensures products meet customer expectations in real usage.
- Security checks
- Number of vulnerabilities found and resolved.
- Coverage of security tests (static scans, penetration tests, etc.).
- Ensures alignment with ISO 27001 and other security requirements.
4.6.2 Reporting¶
- Test results and quality metrics must be shared regularly with stakeholders (Product Owners, Technical Leads, QA, and Architecture Board).
- Reports should be simple and visual where possible (dashboards, charts).
- Key checkpoints:
- At the end of each sprint or iteration.
- At major/minor release milestones.
- After Beta testing or user acceptance testing
4.6.3 Continuous Improvement¶
- Every project must conduct post-release reviews to identify lessons learned.
- Root causes of critical bugs must be analysed and addressed.
- Metrics and feedback must be used to improve test strategies, automation, and processes.
- Standards and guidelines will be updated regularly by QA and the Architecture Board, based on project feedback and industry practices.