Quality checkpoints

Quality checkpoints establish clear evaluation criteria at crucial stages of product development. Research checkpoints verify data quality and insight validation. Design checkpoints assess accessibility standards, component consistency, and usability principles. Development checkpoints confirm code quality, performance metrics, and technical requirements.

Quality checkpoints should combine both automated checks and manual reviews where necessary. For example, tools like GitHub Actions automate code quality gates, ensuring that only clean and optimized code is integrated into the project. Deque's Axe is another powerful tool that automatically checks for WCAG compliance, helping ensure that digital products are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. On the other hand, expert reviews focus on strategic alignment, user experience quality, and edge cases that automated tools might miss. Whether automated or manual, each checkpoint should have clear pass/fail criteria and documentation of any exceptions.

Regular analysis of checkpoint data helps identify common issues and improvement opportunities. You can use this information to refine your processes and provide targeted team training where needed.