PDCA cycle. I. Step 1) PLAN Planning is the most important phase of determining the strategy of doing almost anything in software development. Before the creating a plan it is vital to determine the procedure for doing the interoperability testing; for that, it is imperial that each application or system deployed in the network is understood. For all applications information about the functionality, behaviour, input it takes and output it reveals should be gathered. A standard Test Plan document is used and tailor it a bit as per the requirement to document the planning of IOT. Thereafter the test conditions are derived. The focus of deriving your test condition should not be limited to the individual applications; instead it should be based on the flow of data through all the applications. The conditions should be designed in such a way that, if not all, but most of the applications in the network are traversed. In the next step, the tests are carried out. It is also possible to create a RTM (Requirements Traceability Matrix) to map your test cases with test conditions and your test conditions with acceptance test conditions/requirements. When working on a network, it is important to plan for the Non Functional testing activities as well. It is mandatory to check for the non-functional aspects of the system as a whole. These non-functional areas would include performance and security. If required a separate plan for Functional testing, performance testing and Security testing; or create a single plan and different document of test conditions for each of these testing types can be established.
PDCA cycle. Figure 23 PDCA cycle (Project steps blogspot website, 2009) In business processes the most important is the customer’s satisfaction. And this cycle makes it easier for the managers in a Lean management to analyze the activities step by step, to find out where the problems lies in the process and make changes to achieve better results (Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxxx, 2009). “Continuous operation of the PDCA cycle is very important in creating a lean organization. This technique will be used to attack the inefficiencies or the wastes of the organization in its lean journey” (Lean manufacturing concepts website, 2008). The different steps in the PDCA cycle: Plan: At this stage, the management discovers an opportunity to improve and begin planning a measure /different strategy. Do: The new strategy/change is implemented at this stage, and the performance for this implementation is measured. Check: This stage is the analysis stage, where all the results is identified and we realize what you have learned in relation to future prospects. Act: Here the management does actions based on what they have learned. If the improvement did not get better results, start all over again in the beginning of the circle. If the improvement was successful and the performance good, we implement these changes and intend to make these even better. Then start at the first step in the circle again (Xxxxx, 2005). According to Xxxxx (2005) there are some situations, when it is good to use the PDCA cycle in a business process: ● It is good to use it as a template for further improvement. ● If a new improvement project is supposed to be started, it is wise to start with the PDCA cycle ● When there is any change to implement ● When there is a repetitive work to define ● Actually always when there is any change that is going to be implemented As we can see the PDCA cycle is a tool that is under TQM, thus a concept that originates from the Lean philosophy. TQM is an approach to ensure quality but while we are thinking Lean, we need to know how the managers should manage the company and the employees. The next section tells us about this kind of management.
