The VOICE model for achieving business value through IT delivery

What is TMap® Quality for cross-functional teams?

TMap is short for Test Management Approach and is a specially developed way of testing for software testers to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Test Management Approach literally means: the way you approach a test. In short, how do you make sure you do it in the best and most structured way possible?

The TMap® Quality for cross-functional teams is a methodology used to improve work processes within an organization. The goal of this test training is to improve internal efficiency and achieve better team results. This is done by identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes that help the organization achieve its goals.

Read tip! This is how cross functional teams improve Agile working.

Using indicators to measure your goals

To accomplish this, organizations expect their IT systems to enable them to generate business value. This business value can be financial, but it can also be some other quantitative or qualitative value. In order to specify this value, objectives must be well developed. Moreover, these objectives must be measurable. And you can do that with the indicators.

Testing takes care of measuring these indicators

Measuring these indicators is done through quality and value measurement activities, which you can therefore do with testing. These tests provide information that stakeholders use to make judgments and determine the extent to which they are confident that the targeted value can be achieved.

Does the IT system go live? Then the organization begins to experience its true value. In an agile work environment, these experiences are used to further improve in the next iteration of delivery. This process of business delivery, and the IT delivery (software development process) as part of it, is visualized in the VOICE model. This is a generic model, relevant to all types of IT delivery lifecycles that support business delivery.

The VOICE model

VOICE is an acronym of Value, Objectives, Indicators, Confidence and Experience, terms that together describe how business value delivery should be implemented.

• Value: this is the purpose for which IT delivery, i.e. the software development process, is carried out;
• Objectives: these are the measurable, specific results that must be achieved to realize the value;
• Indicators: these are the specific processes and activities required to achieve the objective;
• Confidence: this is the level of belief that everyone on an IT delivery team is capable of achieving the goal;
• Experience: this is the basic methodology that IT delivery teams use to execute their IT delivery processes efficiently and effectively.

The VOICE model supports the collection of information about IT systems

High-performance IT delivery teams (such as in DevOps) use the VOICE model as a basis for structuring and organizing their work. Where the VOICE model is about delivering information, DevOps is about creating IT systems. The VOICE model therefore supports gathering information about IT systems during the time they are created and maintained. Ongoing quality assurance and testing are essential to provide vital feedback to all stakeholders. Ultimately, of course, the goal is to promote the development of valuable IT systems.

As a team, you can use the goals and indicators outlined in the VOICE model to determine what activities you should perform at what time. Aligned with the IT delivery model, as a team you plan your work and provide information to all involved (stakeholders). This creates a sense of trust in organizations and their cross-functional teams.

VOICE is indispensable within TMap® Quality for cross-functional teams

The VOICE model allows you to easily and effectively organize your work within TMap® Quality for cross-functional teams with high-performance IT delivery teams such as DevOps. This helps to achieve business value through IT delivery, resulting in better organizational outcomes. Want to know more about this? Then feel free to contact us!

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