QA to QE – Unlocking Success with Third Party Supplier Teams

Modern software development often involves collaboration with third-party suppliers, whether for specialised components, outsourced development, or external expertise. While these partnerships bring opportunities for scale and innovation, they also introduce unique challenges: inconsistent quality standards, misaligned priorities, and communication gaps.

I’ve worked closely with a variety of suppliers over the last 6 years and have continuously seen marked improvements in standards when they are integrated into the fold and treated as equals. For me, it’s about having a QE Partner to work with rather than treating the supplier as lesser beings.

This is where the Quality Engineering Transformation Model shines. By applying its five phases, organisations can overcome these challenges and build robust, collaborative, and quality-driven relationships with suppliers:

• Assess and Plan
• Evolve Capabilities
• Implement Practices
• Grow a Culture of Quality
• Measure and Adapt

In truth it comes down to communication and ensuring the suppliers are on the same page is crucial. Let’s go through the phases and look at how that materialises.

Phase 1: Assess and Plan – Laying the Groundwork for Collaboration

Before diving into execution, it’s essential to establish a clear understanding of the current landscape:

• Evaluate Supplier Processes: How do their testing practices align with your quality goals? Are there gaps in defect prevention, communication, or automation? What is their understanding of Quality Engineering?
• Define Shared Metrics: Collaborate with suppliers to identify measurable quality objectives, such as defect thresholds, response times, and performance benchmarks.
• Create a Risk Mitigation Plan: Assess the potential impact of supplier-related risks, such as delays, defects, or regulatory non-compliance.
• Align Stakeholders: Ensure internal teams and suppliers are united in their understanding of quality expectations and contractual agreements.
• Build Shared Principles: Include them in your team sessions to collaborate on a shared vision. They are part of your team, so treat them as so.

By the end of this phase, you’ll have a robust roadmap that outlines the collaboration model, risks, and quality objectives to guide the transformation.

Phase 2: Evolve Capabilities – Building the Foundations for Quality

To ensure a successful partnership, invest in capabilities that empower both your organisation and your suppliers:

• Automation Integration: Work with suppliers to adopt automation practices that align with your delivery pipelines, such as shared regression testing frameworks or performance monitoring tools.
• Skill Development: Provide training opportunities for both teams to align on modern QE practices, including shift-left strategies, test data management, and CI/CD processes.
• Quality Toolkits: Equip suppliers with tools and frameworks that facilitate testing across shared environments.
• Cross-Team Transparency: Introduce tools that foster real-time collaboration, such as integrated test case repositories or defect tracking systems.

This phase ensures that suppliers not only meet but actively contribute to your quality goals.

Phase 3: Implement Practices – Driving Transformation Together

With foundational capabilities in place, it’s time to operationalise quality practices:

• Shift-Left and Right Testing: Integrate third-party deliverables into your pipelines early, engaging suppliers in design reviews, code analysis, and static testing phases.
• End-to-End Validation: Conduct comprehensive testing that spans both internal systems and supplier components, ensuring seamless integration and functionality.
• Contractual Quality Metrics: Monitor supplier adherence to agreed-upon SLAs, such as defect densities or response times, through automated reporting.
• Mocking and Stubbing: Minimise dependencies by introducing mocks for incomplete third-party components, enabling continuous testing without delays.

By embedding these practices into everyday workflows, you transform third-party teams into active contributors to your quality ecosystem.

Phase 4: Grow a Culture of Quality – Fostering Collaboration and Shared Ownership

Transforming supplier relationships requires more than technical changes; it demands a shift in mindset:

• Celebrate Collaboration Successes: Highlight milestones achieved together, whether it’s delivering a critical feature on time or resolving a complex integration issue.
• Encourage Feedback Loops: Create forums where internal teams and suppliers can share challenges, ideas, and improvements.
• Promote Shared Responsibility: Ensure suppliers are part of retrospectives and quality reviews, fostering a sense of ownership.
• Embed Continuous Learning: Support experimentation with new tools and techniques, giving suppliers room to innovate.

A culture of quality bridges organisational boundaries, creating a partnership built on trust and collaboration.

Phase 5: Measure and Adapt – Iterating Toward Excellence

To sustain a high standard of quality in supplier relationships, continuously evaluate and evolve practices:

• Track Metrics: Monitor defect escape rates, turnaround times, and customer satisfaction to measure progress.
• Refine Contracts: Use insights from metrics to adjust SLAs, ensuring they remain relevant to both parties’ needs.
• Introduce Retrospectives: Regularly review successes and challenges with suppliers to identify areas for improvement.
• Stay Agile: Anticipate and adapt to changes in supplier processes, such as new technologies or team structures.

Measuring and adapting ensures supplier relationships remain aligned with your quality goals, even as circumstances evolve.

The Road Ahead

Applying the Quality Engineering Transformation Model to an environment with third-party suppliers empowers organisations to build strong, collaborative partnerships that drive quality at every step. By aligning on goals, evolving capabilities, implementing robust practices, fostering a culture of shared ownership, and continuously iterating, you create a framework for sustainable success.

Ultimately, this approach transforms supplier relationships from transactional to transformational, ensuring that quality is not just a metric but a shared mission.