Software Quality

Quality is commonly defined as fitness-for-purpose. Software has the purpose of being valuable to its users. But users’ needs change, requirements evolve, and features must be added or adjusted to remain valuable over time. Change is central. This makes the software’s ability to adapt quickly a key aspect of its quality.

If you focus only on shipping new features, then technical debt and bug fixing slow down the rate at which those new features can be released. The product drifts further from what the users want. Technical debt accumulates, unplanned work consumes an increasing share of development effort. This includes fixing bugs, tackling design or architectural challenges, and understanding unclear or misleading code.

Traditional approaches, whether chasing features at all cost or enforcing heavy manual controls to prevent mistakes, are short-sighted and slow.

True software quality comes from practices that create a smooth runway for development: a codebase that is maintainable, reliable, and easy to evolve, supported by a robust integration pipeline and fast automated feedback. When this runway exists, developers can safely and efficiently deliver valuable features, while staying flexible and responsive to changing user needs.