WELCOME TO THE NEW LEVEL OF QUALITY

Author: Viktorija Bikulčiūtė

Quality is key: the key to success, trust and partnerships. Looking for new ways and opportunities to improve the quality of work and meet client expectations – this is a business mantra that needs repeating every day.

A few months ago, Baltic Amadeus started using a tool called SonarQube to help evaluate the quality of developed code. This tool works in a fairly simple way, with the quality of code assessed using a few parameters, such as those for global analysis, project analysis and command lines. The aim of using this is to help avoid common mistakes. SonarQube and other tools for evaluating the quality of developed code are widely used abroad, with international corporations aware that reputation is built on the grounds of quality and that they cannot allow themselves to make mistakes. International companies in Lithuania also use such methods, but they still cannot be considered standard in our country.

BA had a simple reason for its decision to start using SonarQube: the company was looking for better ways to evaluate the quality of its activities. The evaluation capabilities and results provided by this tool allow us to see ourselves in an international context and answer the question of whether the quality of our work matches global standards. Why did we choose this tool? In the market, there are four different tools that enable IT companies to evaluate quality. Baltic Amadeus chose SonarQube because it fits with all the technologies the company uses, from .NET and Java to Web&Apps, and with our infrastructure. The introduction of this tool is part of the company’s automation process.

From a client perspective, the use of this tool is a sign that we have started applying even higher standards to ourselves, creating a framework for quality and providing project services only when all issues are fixed. In long-term projects, the client is protected from additional development expenses and ongoing errors.

The early months working with this tool showed us our areas of weakness, though the situation varies for different teams. We have teams that are well-balanced and have no real issues, but we have a clear image of problems where they do need solving. We can take steps to improve the situation, including education and training of employees. BA has a target of reducing the number of mistakes in developed code to zero within a year. All in all, responsibility for clients means looking for the best and most direct ways to success for them and for partners.