glizelle langerman “the application of quality
assurance in system implementation projects” Most
system implementation projects fail because they do not
realise their original purpose and consequently do not meet
the requirements of users and organisations. Most often the
reason for this is quality assurance not being implemented
by the project team as well as non-adherence to quality
standard guidelines. This research study therefore aims to
determine how organisations apply quality standards during
the implementation of quality assurance in their system
implementation projects. A further aim is to determine what
types of problems are experienced in the application of
quality assurance by organisations that have implemented
quality assurance in their system implementation projects.
The literature review conducted focuses on what quality is,
as well as the type of quality control standards and project
management methodologies that are available. A review of
the reasons for unsuccessful system implementation projects
and quality initiatives also provides background on where
organisations are going wrong. A qualitative research
methodology, with multiple case studies, is applied in this
research study. The results indicate that the organisations
that participated in this research study did apply quality
assurance methodologies during their system
implementation projects. However, weaknesses existed that,
if improved, could enhance the successful implementation
of systems, the quality of the systems implemented, and the
time frame in which systems are implemented. Based on the
findings of the research study, the researcher has developed
a quality assurance model that can be used during system
implementation/development projects. This model is
divided into the various system development life cycle
phases, such as the planning phase, design phase,
development phase, etc, indicating the quality assurance
activities and deliverables required during each of these
phases. This approach makes the model unique in the sense
that some or all of these phases can be adopted to any
company’s system development life cycle methodology to
assist in identifying the activities and deliverables required
for successful implementation/development of projects. The
results from the research have indicated that weaknesses do
exist within system implementation projects when looking
at the QA activities performed to assist with the success of
the project. Through the literature review conducted, it has
been found that even though guidance for QA activities
exists in the form of models, frameworks and standards,
these are not specific enough to assist an organisation in
identifying the specific QA activities needed during each
phase of an SDLC.
Furthermore, the results that have been obtained from the
case study indicate that the company whose business
information system was implemented at the various
organisations surveyed, does apply QA activities during
their normal implementation projects. They also have not
yet had an unsuccessful implementation, although a lot of
rework had to be done. This might not be the case for other
organisations that have not yet adopted QA activities in
their implementation strategies. Finally, it is hoped that if a
QA model (as suggested in Figure 6-1) can be implemented
successfully, it will assist organisations in their system
implementation projects and ensure that systems are
implemented according to specifications, within budget and
on time.