Never
resist this. Inquire diligently to know what it was you were supposed to have done. Get them to make
this very clear. Have them also explain how your failure to do what was wanted detracts from the project??™s
outcome. Then see if their requirement could be said to have been already met in some other way. If
you can??™t, give up. No one will think any the worse of you. Attempting to undermine them is highly
counter-productive.
The quality management system which they control (and which is certified under ISO 9000) is there
for your use. If it??™s more trouble than it??™s worth, negotiate an alternative with the QA department. You??™ll
have to write a standard to keep them happy but it will be worth it and won??™t invalidate their certification
if it??™s well-written. Note that a standard can be quite minimal and consist of templates, tools, and checklists,
providing it can be shown to act as a standard. Ignoring the quality management system is unwise.
9.7.5 Relations with Sales and Customers
You may be wheeled out to meet customers for two reasons:
??? Everything is going well and management want to:
??“ Thank you and show how much they trust you by letting you present yourself.
??“ Use you as a means of getting orders.
??“ Cement relations with a long-standing client.
184 Manage Software Testing
??? Everything is not going well and management want to use you as a way of convincing the client
that issues are under control.
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