Alternatives to paper based QA data capture do exist and they come in 5 main flavours. These include fully bespoke systems, off the shelf systems, in-house user developed systems based on database or spreadsheets, in-house expert developed systems & externally developed database or spreadsheet based systems. This article discusses the pros and cons of each to allow Technical and Quality Managers, involved in changing from paper-based QA data capture, to make a more informed decision.
BESPOKE QA DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
In most cases, a fully bespoke data capture system will provide a business with exactly the right system features and benefits it needs. The development stage of the process could be quite a drain on management resources though and deep pockets will be needed.
When you look at a bespoke data capture system, nine times out of ten it will be a dedicated database system. It will probably include one or more forms for inputting data. It will also probably include some complex and some not so complex data manipulation capability. Finally it will include some kind of reporting system which outputs to the screen, the local e-mail system, the local printer or all three. In short, it will most likely do the same things a well designed Microsoft® Access database will do but at a premium price. The more cynical amongst us might ask "Why pay for someone to build a form, table, report or other user interface element from scratch when Access already has 90% of what we need already?"
Data capture systems tend to evolve over time. Our customers may require different form or report formats. We may even have to pull disparate data from any source into our system. With bespoke systems, adding such incremental refinements could prove expensive too.
Timing may also be a factor. Developing bespoke software requires some time commitment from management. The development cycle from concept to rollout can be long and arduous. Many meetings will be needed in order to make sure the developer has a clear brief and development milestones are met. If the developer misinterprets the brief, even slightly, the difference could drastically increase change-management overhead. Also a unique system with few users has the potential to be more buggy which could cause some disruption to your business.
OFF THE SHELF QA DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
Of course, off the shelf data capture systems are invariably less expensive to buy than fully bespoke alternatives. However, what is gained in a lower purchase price is often lost in a substantial increase in administration costs. To increase marketing potential, off the shelf data capture systems are built to have wide appeal. In so doing it is incumbent on the buying organisation to add their own product-specific details to the system. That data may not be fully compatible with the system so it may need to be manually transposed leading to transcription error.
Clearly, a general software developer wouldn't be expected to know everything about each and every one of its customer's products. Yes they would be expected to provide some form templates to enable their customers to enter their data. They would also be expected to provide a raft of plug-in formulae to number-crunch that data and standard reporting templates to enable the customer to produce formatted output. In reality, the customer would probably have to decide which form templates to use and which fields to include, to input all field headings, to set expected data types, tolerances and other data. Moreover, some businesses produce a large portfolio of products and each individual product would have to be covered. High end systems may also include mobile hand-held device support. This will incur extra cost as network infrastructure may need changes to allow wi-fi access to the hand-held devices used.
On the plus side though there is less chance of off the shelf systems being buggy, especially if the system is well established, because user numbers will be high and most bugs will have already been ironed out. Also, while some systems are modular and allow the buying organisation some choice in which features they can have, they often include features that inflate the cost while being of little use to the majority of users.
IN-HOUSE, USER DEVELOPED, DATABASE OR SPREADSHEET- BASED, QA DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
On the other hand, in-house user developed data capture systems using proprietary spreadsheet or database programs may seem the cheapest method and deliver the best solution. After all, if the system is built by the actual user, should it not deliver everything the user requires of it? Well this doesn't always follow.
Consider a system developed by an in-house "talented amateur". Most businesses have at least one. Imagine a scenario where some critical feature doesn't quite work properly and requires a substantial rewrite to fix it properly. With unfettered code access, a hard-pressed developer could devise what to him is a simple a workaround choosing to live with the shortcoming rather than hold up the development further. This is fine while the developer remains with the organisation. What happens when the he or she leaves the organisation? What was simply an annoying, easily overcome shortcoming to a developer could become an insurmountable task to a user with no access to the workaround. In reality the system could become so compromised it could be untenable to continue with it. In extreme cases it could cost the business thousands to replace such a system. System development time may also be quite high due to the part-time nature of the development effort. Also, if more than one "expert" exists in the same business a piecemeal approach to systems development could lead to the business having many disparate and difficult to manage systems.
There are some potential benefits to consider though. Systems that have been devised in-house are more likely to fit in with current working practices so change-management requirements will probably be lower than that of bespoke or off the shelf alternatives. Having an in-house "expert" will ensure terminal coding issues get ironed out more quickly reducing down time. Systems built around existing data also tend to overcome problems of data compatibility early on in the development process.
IN-HOUSE, EXPERT DEVELOPED DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
Only the largest multi-site organisations will be able to afford to retain an in-house expert dedicated to systems development. Even so, because coding style varies from one coder to another, there could still be code maintenance issues if the developer leaves the business. Even for a seasoned coder, picking up someone else's coding style is notoriously difficult. Even if that code is self documenting or extensively commented.
EXTERNALLY DEVELOPED, DATABASE OR SPREADSHEET- BASED, DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
Finally this last alternative falls some way between fully bespoke systems and off the shelf systems. Such systems are developed to run on existing platforms such as Microsoft® Access, Microsoft® Excel and other widely available software.
This type of QA data capture system may be built with a general user in mind to give the program wide appeal or it may be made more specific to give a more niche appeal. If developed for the latter, little effort will be wasted on coding features the user neither wants nor needs. Basing the system on the format of an existing paper system will cut down the need for management to developer interaction and reduce change management requirements. All this will reduce cost especially when compared to feature loaded, off the shelf stand-alone and fully bespoke systems. Being industry specific should also allow the developer to produce standard base formats enabling new systems, with bespoke elements, to be built quickly reducing lead time and cost.
If built to run on the Microsoft® platform these systems will invariably be coded in the Visual Basic® for Applications (VBA) language. This language is very literal and syntactically similar to English so it is generally easier to read than most. That said, developer companies usually employ a team of coders so code maintenance, unlike that of user developed systems, is less dependent on one coder. VBA also gives developers a quick and easy way to propagate system updates and code fixes across multiple files automatically. This also saves development time, down time and reduces cost.
Using a VBA coded system also allows for the removal of standard application furniture such as menus, toolbars, column and row headings, status bars and other distracting user interface elements. This makes it easy to simplify the user interface making end-user navigation errors difficult. In this way a powerful data capture application can be built which is industry and user specific, requires minimal administrative support, is easy to use, error free and relatively inexpensive when compared to a full bespoke system.
Clearly, the final choice of which alternative to use to reduce a businesses reliance on paper systems is a difficult one. Apart from the array of different systems available many other things will need to be taken into consideration. These include whether the system is compatible with existing hardware and network infrastructure, the level of computer skills already in place within the business and whether existing stock control or other data management software can be easily extended to provide the functionality required. Given the high cost of installing, running and managing paper based systems (see my article 'Paper Based QA Data Capture - The Real Cost') it is crucial the right system is chosen from the outset.
The next article in this series will compare the features of an ideal computerised QA data capture system against those of a standard paper based system.
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Paper-Based-QA-Data-Capture---Comparing-Alternatives-&id=7351798
BESPOKE QA DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
In most cases, a fully bespoke data capture system will provide a business with exactly the right system features and benefits it needs. The development stage of the process could be quite a drain on management resources though and deep pockets will be needed.
When you look at a bespoke data capture system, nine times out of ten it will be a dedicated database system. It will probably include one or more forms for inputting data. It will also probably include some complex and some not so complex data manipulation capability. Finally it will include some kind of reporting system which outputs to the screen, the local e-mail system, the local printer or all three. In short, it will most likely do the same things a well designed Microsoft® Access database will do but at a premium price. The more cynical amongst us might ask "Why pay for someone to build a form, table, report or other user interface element from scratch when Access already has 90% of what we need already?"
Data capture systems tend to evolve over time. Our customers may require different form or report formats. We may even have to pull disparate data from any source into our system. With bespoke systems, adding such incremental refinements could prove expensive too.
Timing may also be a factor. Developing bespoke software requires some time commitment from management. The development cycle from concept to rollout can be long and arduous. Many meetings will be needed in order to make sure the developer has a clear brief and development milestones are met. If the developer misinterprets the brief, even slightly, the difference could drastically increase change-management overhead. Also a unique system with few users has the potential to be more buggy which could cause some disruption to your business.
OFF THE SHELF QA DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
Of course, off the shelf data capture systems are invariably less expensive to buy than fully bespoke alternatives. However, what is gained in a lower purchase price is often lost in a substantial increase in administration costs. To increase marketing potential, off the shelf data capture systems are built to have wide appeal. In so doing it is incumbent on the buying organisation to add their own product-specific details to the system. That data may not be fully compatible with the system so it may need to be manually transposed leading to transcription error.
Clearly, a general software developer wouldn't be expected to know everything about each and every one of its customer's products. Yes they would be expected to provide some form templates to enable their customers to enter their data. They would also be expected to provide a raft of plug-in formulae to number-crunch that data and standard reporting templates to enable the customer to produce formatted output. In reality, the customer would probably have to decide which form templates to use and which fields to include, to input all field headings, to set expected data types, tolerances and other data. Moreover, some businesses produce a large portfolio of products and each individual product would have to be covered. High end systems may also include mobile hand-held device support. This will incur extra cost as network infrastructure may need changes to allow wi-fi access to the hand-held devices used.
On the plus side though there is less chance of off the shelf systems being buggy, especially if the system is well established, because user numbers will be high and most bugs will have already been ironed out. Also, while some systems are modular and allow the buying organisation some choice in which features they can have, they often include features that inflate the cost while being of little use to the majority of users.
IN-HOUSE, USER DEVELOPED, DATABASE OR SPREADSHEET- BASED, QA DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
On the other hand, in-house user developed data capture systems using proprietary spreadsheet or database programs may seem the cheapest method and deliver the best solution. After all, if the system is built by the actual user, should it not deliver everything the user requires of it? Well this doesn't always follow.
Consider a system developed by an in-house "talented amateur". Most businesses have at least one. Imagine a scenario where some critical feature doesn't quite work properly and requires a substantial rewrite to fix it properly. With unfettered code access, a hard-pressed developer could devise what to him is a simple a workaround choosing to live with the shortcoming rather than hold up the development further. This is fine while the developer remains with the organisation. What happens when the he or she leaves the organisation? What was simply an annoying, easily overcome shortcoming to a developer could become an insurmountable task to a user with no access to the workaround. In reality the system could become so compromised it could be untenable to continue with it. In extreme cases it could cost the business thousands to replace such a system. System development time may also be quite high due to the part-time nature of the development effort. Also, if more than one "expert" exists in the same business a piecemeal approach to systems development could lead to the business having many disparate and difficult to manage systems.
There are some potential benefits to consider though. Systems that have been devised in-house are more likely to fit in with current working practices so change-management requirements will probably be lower than that of bespoke or off the shelf alternatives. Having an in-house "expert" will ensure terminal coding issues get ironed out more quickly reducing down time. Systems built around existing data also tend to overcome problems of data compatibility early on in the development process.
IN-HOUSE, EXPERT DEVELOPED DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
Only the largest multi-site organisations will be able to afford to retain an in-house expert dedicated to systems development. Even so, because coding style varies from one coder to another, there could still be code maintenance issues if the developer leaves the business. Even for a seasoned coder, picking up someone else's coding style is notoriously difficult. Even if that code is self documenting or extensively commented.
EXTERNALLY DEVELOPED, DATABASE OR SPREADSHEET- BASED, DATA CAPTURE SYSTEMS
Finally this last alternative falls some way between fully bespoke systems and off the shelf systems. Such systems are developed to run on existing platforms such as Microsoft® Access, Microsoft® Excel and other widely available software.
This type of QA data capture system may be built with a general user in mind to give the program wide appeal or it may be made more specific to give a more niche appeal. If developed for the latter, little effort will be wasted on coding features the user neither wants nor needs. Basing the system on the format of an existing paper system will cut down the need for management to developer interaction and reduce change management requirements. All this will reduce cost especially when compared to feature loaded, off the shelf stand-alone and fully bespoke systems. Being industry specific should also allow the developer to produce standard base formats enabling new systems, with bespoke elements, to be built quickly reducing lead time and cost.
If built to run on the Microsoft® platform these systems will invariably be coded in the Visual Basic® for Applications (VBA) language. This language is very literal and syntactically similar to English so it is generally easier to read than most. That said, developer companies usually employ a team of coders so code maintenance, unlike that of user developed systems, is less dependent on one coder. VBA also gives developers a quick and easy way to propagate system updates and code fixes across multiple files automatically. This also saves development time, down time and reduces cost.
Using a VBA coded system also allows for the removal of standard application furniture such as menus, toolbars, column and row headings, status bars and other distracting user interface elements. This makes it easy to simplify the user interface making end-user navigation errors difficult. In this way a powerful data capture application can be built which is industry and user specific, requires minimal administrative support, is easy to use, error free and relatively inexpensive when compared to a full bespoke system.
Clearly, the final choice of which alternative to use to reduce a businesses reliance on paper systems is a difficult one. Apart from the array of different systems available many other things will need to be taken into consideration. These include whether the system is compatible with existing hardware and network infrastructure, the level of computer skills already in place within the business and whether existing stock control or other data management software can be easily extended to provide the functionality required. Given the high cost of installing, running and managing paper based systems (see my article 'Paper Based QA Data Capture - The Real Cost') it is crucial the right system is chosen from the outset.
The next article in this series will compare the features of an ideal computerised QA data capture system against those of a standard paper based system.
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Paper-Based-QA-Data-Capture---Comparing-Alternatives-&id=7351798
