How do you integrate quality gates with your continuous delivery tools and processes?

1 Choose the right quality criteria

The first step is to define what quality means for your software and your business. You need to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs), metrics, standards, and requirements that your software should meet at each stage of the delivery pipeline. For example, you may want to check code quality, test coverage, security vulnerabilities, accessibility, usability, performance, and compliance. You should also prioritize the most critical and relevant criteria for each stage, and avoid unnecessary or redundant checks that may slow down your delivery.

2 Use automated tools and tests

The second step is to use automated tools and tests to measure and verify your quality criteria. You should integrate these tools and tests with your continuous delivery tools, such as your version control system, build server, deployment tool, and monitoring tool. This way, you can trigger quality gates automatically whenever a change is committed, built, deployed, or released. You should also use tools and tests that are reliable, consistent, and fast, and that provide clear and actionable feedback.

3 Define clear policies and actions

The third step is to define clear policies and actions for each quality gate. You need to specify what happens when a quality gate passes or fails, and who is responsible for taking action. For example, you may want to stop the pipeline, notify the team, roll back the change, or fix the issue. You should also document your policies and actions, and communicate them to your stakeholders. This way, you can ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment across your organization.

4 Monitor and improve your quality gates

The fourth step is to monitor and improve your quality gates over time. You should collect and analyze data from your quality gates, such as pass/fail rates, feedback, issues, and trends. You should also review and update your quality criteria, tools, tests, policies, and actions regularly, and seek feedback from your customers and users. This way, you can identify and address any gaps, problems, or opportunities for improvement in your quality gates.

5 Balance speed and quality

The fifth step is to balance speed and quality in your continuous delivery pipeline. You should aim to achieve a high level of quality without compromising your delivery speed or frequency. You should also avoid over-engineering or under-engineering your quality gates, and find the optimal level of quality assurance for your software and your business. You should also embrace a culture of continuous learning and improvement, and experiment with different quality gate configurations and strategies.

6 Benefit from quality gates

The sixth step is to benefit from quality gates in your continuous delivery pipeline. Quality gates can help you deliver software faster, safer, and better. They can also help you improve your customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty. They can also help you reduce your costs, risks, and waste. By integrating quality gates with your continuous delivery tools and processes, you can achieve a higher level of software quality and business value.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?