In addition to checking whether the code works in a development environment, the engineering quality needs to be assessed against the requirements for production readiness. A product would be able to meet a delivery date while still having gaps in testing, security, performance, reliability, or code quality.
At GeekyAnts, these areas are covered through applicable code review, testing, security, performance, and release-readiness checks. The GeekyAnts Center of Excellence (COE) provides shared coding standards and training resources that support consistency across projects. These standards and resources are continuously updated as engineering practices and technologies evolve. Project-specific quality benchmarks are established based on the requirements documented in the SOW (Statement of Work).
Quality also requires the right ownership throughout the delivery process. This gives each area a defined owner and supports role-specific sign-off for production readiness.
What Engineering Quality Checks Does GeekyAnts Use?
Engineering quality is checked at several points during delivery, and each check places emphasis on different parts of the product. Code reviews help assess the quality of the implementation against the applicable code-quality expectations, while testing helps understand whether the agreed testing work has been completed and whether the product meets the defined quality criteria. Additionally, security checks cover the requirements that apply to the product and its release, while performance and reliability checks are tied to the requirements established for the engagement instead of using a single target for every project. Defects are also measured against benchmarks defined for the project.
An acceptable defect level for one product may not be applicable to another. A project with specific production requirements may have different acceptance criteria than an internal application or an early-stage product. Release readiness brings these together as the team verifies that the required technical, testing, DevOps, security, performance, and reliability checks are completed before the deliverable is signed off. The specific benchmarks and acceptance criteria come from the requirements agreed upon for that engagement and documented in the SOW.
How Are Quality Benchmarks Defined for Each Project?
A quality benchmark only has a meaning when it is tied to the specific requirements of the project. We define test coverage, acceptable defect levels, performance requirements, code-quality expectations, and other acceptance criteria that are applicable to the deliverable. This approach matters because projects do not all have the same requirements. A banking product may have different expectations for performance, security, and defect expectations from an internal enterprise application, or a consumer application may have different testing coverage or performance requirements from an early-stage product. So using the same threshold for all of the products could leave out the requirements the product actually needs.
At GeekyAnts, the SOW therefore becomes the reference point for the project’s quality baseline. The team can measure the work against requirements that are agreed upon for that engagement instead of adding a number without considering what the product is expected to do. This also gives the client a good basis for understanding what the team is expected to deliver and how that delivery will be assessed.
Who Owns Quality Before a Product is Sent for Production?
Production readiness at GeekyAnts involves different stages of the deliverable process that are reviewed by the people responsible for them, with each role signing off on its area before the project is considered to be complete.
The technical lead is responsible for confirming technical readiness, the DevOps engineer validates readiness, while QA confirms that the required testing process has been completed. The project manager takes responsibility for overall completion of deliverables, which gives each stage a clear owner across the delivery process.
Sometimes, projects can also encounter situations where an agreed requirement needs an exception. When that happens, the project manager documents the exception through the appropriate RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, and Dependencies) logs and email communications. The related task is recorded, mitigation actions are identified, and the project manager tracks those actions to follow through.
This creates a record of what was agreed, what changed, and how the team planned to address the associated risks that came with the project. So production readiness includes confirming that the required checks are complete, the people responsible have reviewed their respective areas, and any documented exceptions have identified mitigation actions that are tracked through completion.
How GeekyAnts Turned Quality Metrics into Delivery Accountability?
One of the fixed-cost engagements at GeekyAnts shows how defined metrics shaped delivery from the start. The team established specific success metrics for the engagement and assigned ownership for each metric.
The metrics were built into the project playbooks and added to the responsibility matrix. Relevant team members were assigned responsibility for the metrics connected to their work, and the team tracked them throughout the engagement. This gave the project a shared reference point for the required result and the team responsible for each metric.
The metrics were reviewed at project closure and presented as achieved outcomes. The client then formally signed off on the metrics. This created a clear North Star for the engagement, with defined metrics and ownership aligned with the SPOC (Single Point of Contact).
The engagement also saw an improvement in the overall client experience, along with an appreciation from the client. This example shows how setting measurable expectations, assigning responsibility, tracking progress, and closing against agreed metrics can give both the delivery team and the client a clear basis for assessing the engagement.
What Can Clients Expect from GeekyAnts’ Quality Process?
Our engineering quality starts with the requirements agreed upon for the engagement, where applicable COE standards guide the engineering checks, while the SOW provides the basis for project-specific benchmarks covering areas such as code quality, coverage, defects, and performance.
We also establish ownership by assigning defined responsibilities across technical leads, DevOps engineers, QA, and project managers for validating different parts of the deliverable and confirming production readiness. When an agreed requirement needs an exception, the project manager records it, tracks the associated risk, and ensures that mitigation actions are identified and followed through.
The fixed-cost engagement example also demonstrates how measurable outcomes can be built into delivery. Success metrics are assigned to team members based on the engagement and formally reviewed and signed off at closure.
For GeekyAnts, engineering quality is therefore not reduced to a code review or a final QA check; it becomes part of the delivery process right from defining the required outcomes to measuring them against agreed requirements, assigning ownership, documenting exceptions, and confirming production readiness before the deliverable is signed off.
