agentic-qe 1.1.0 → 1.3.0

package/.claude/skills/consultancy-practices/SKILL.md

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+---
+name: consultancy-practices
+description: Apply effective software quality consultancy practices. Use when consulting, advising clients, or establishing consultancy workflows.
+version: 1.0.0
+category: professional
+tags: [consulting, advisory, client-engagement, strategy, transformation, coaching]
+difficulty: advanced
+estimated_time: 2 hours
+author: user
+---
+
+# Consultancy Practices
+
+## Core Philosophy
+
+You're not there to impose your process. You're there to help them solve their specific problems in their specific context. Listen first, prescribe second.
+
+**Key principle:** Leave them better than you found them - not dependent on you.
+
+## Types of Engagements
+
+### Assessment / Discovery
+**Duration:** 1-4 weeks
+**Goal:** Understand current state, identify problems, recommend improvements
+**Deliverable:** Report with findings and recommendations
+
+### Transformation / Implementation
+**Duration:** 3-12 months
+**Goal:** Help team implement new practices, tools, or processes
+**Deliverable:** Working system, trained team, documented practices
+
+### Advisory / Coaching
+**Duration:** Ongoing (monthly/quarterly)
+**Goal:** Provide strategic guidance, review progress, course-correct
+**Deliverable:** Regular advice, problem-solving sessions
+
+### Crisis / Fire-Fighting
+**Duration:** 1-4 weeks
+**Goal:** Fix critical quality issues blocking production
+**Deliverable:** Stabilized system, action plan
+
+## The Consulting Process
+
+### Phase 1: Discovery (Week 1-2)
+
+**Understand the Context**
+- What's the business goal?
+- What's the current pain?
+- What have they tried?
+- What are the constraints?
+
+**Talk to Everyone**
+- Leadership (strategy, budget, expectations)
+- Developers (daily reality, technical debt)
+- QA/QE (testing challenges, tooling gaps)
+- Product (priorities, customer impact)
+- Operations (deployment, monitoring)
+
+**Observe, Don't Judge (Yet)**
+- Shadow team members
+- Review code, tests, processes
+- Check metrics and dashboards
+- Look at recent incidents
+
+**Key Questions:**
+- "Walk me through your last deployment"
+- "Tell me about a recent bug that escaped to production"
+- "What's the hardest part of your job?"
+- "If you could fix one thing, what would it be?"
+
+### Phase 2: Analysis (Week 2-3)
+
+**Identify Root Causes**
+Don't stop at symptoms. Five Whys technique:
+
+```
+Problem: "Tests are too slow"
+Why? → Test suite takes 2 hours
+Why? → Too many E2E tests
+Why? → No confidence in unit tests
+Why? → Unit tests don't catch real bugs
+Why? → Tests don't reflect actual use cases
+
+Root cause: Test strategy doesn't match risk profile
+```
+
+**Prioritize Issues**
+Not everything can be fixed at once. Use impact/effort matrix:
+
+```
+High Impact, Low Effort:  Do First
+High Impact, High Effort: Plan Carefully  
+Low Impact, Low Effort:   Quick Wins
+Low Impact, High Effort:  Skip
+```
+
+**Consider Constraints**
+- Budget limitations
+- Skill gaps
+- Political dynamics
+- Technical debt
+- Timeline pressure
+
+### Phase 3: Recommendations (Week 3-4)
+
+**Present Findings**
+- Current state (what you observed)
+- Impact (cost of not fixing)
+- Recommendations (specific, actionable)
+- Roadmap (phased approach)
+
+**Format:**
+```
+Executive Summary (1 page)
+- Key findings
+- Critical recommendations
+- Expected outcomes
+
+Detailed Findings (10-20 pages)
+- Each finding with evidence
+- Impact assessment
+- Specific recommendations
+- Implementation approach
+
+Appendices
+- Metrics and data
+- Interview notes
+- Technical details
+```
+
+**Present in Layers**
+- Leadership: Business impact, ROI, timeline
+- Technical team: Implementation details, tools, practices
+- Everyone: Clear next steps
+
+### Phase 4: Implementation (Month 2-6+)
+
+**Start Small**
+Don't boil the ocean. Pick one high-impact change:
+
+**Example:** "Let's get your deployment time from 4 hours to 30 minutes"
+- Faster feedback
+- Visible improvement
+- Builds trust for bigger changes
+
+**Work Alongside the Team**
+- Pair programming
+- Ensemble testing
+- Workshop facilitation
+- Code/test reviews
+
+**Transfer Knowledge**
+- Document as you go
+- Explain your reasoning
+- Teach, don't just do
+- Create repeatable practices
+
+**Measure Progress**
+- Define success metrics upfront
+- Track weekly
+- Celebrate wins
+- Course-correct quickly
+
+### Phase 5: Transition (Final Month)
+
+**Ensure Self-Sufficiency**
+- Team can maintain practices without you
+- Documentation is current
+- Knowledge is spread (not siloed)
+- Clear ownership defined
+
+**Set Up for Long-Term Success**
+- Quarterly health checks (optional follow-up)
+- Open door for questions
+- Community of practice established
+
+## Common Engagement Patterns
+
+### Pattern 1: "We Need Test Automation"
+
+**What they say:** "We need test automation"
+**What they mean:** "Manual testing is too slow/expensive"
+
+**Discovery Questions:**
+- What are you testing manually now?
+- How long does a full regression take?
+- What's your deployment frequency?
+- What's your biggest quality pain?
+
+**Typical Finding:**
+They don't need "test automation." They need:
+- Faster feedback on changes
+- Confidence to deploy more often
+- Better test strategy (automation where it helps)
+
+**Recommendation:**
+1. Start with unit tests for new code (TDD)
+2. Automate smoke tests for critical paths
+3. Keep exploratory testing for discovery
+4. Build automation incrementally, not big-bang
+
+### Pattern 2: "Fix Our Quality Problem"
+
+**What they say:** "We have too many bugs"
+**What they mean:** "Something is broken but we don't know what"
+
+**Discovery Questions:**
+- Where are bugs being found? (testing, staging, production)
+- What types of bugs? (functional, performance, security)
+- When were they introduced? (recent changes, old code)
+- What's the impact? (revenue loss, customer complaints)
+
+**Typical Finding:**
+"Quality problem" is usually one of:
+- No test strategy (testing randomly)
+- Testing too late (after code complete)
+- No feedback loops (bugs found weeks later)
+- Poor communication (requirements unclear)
+
+**Recommendation:**
+Depends on root cause, but often:
+- Shift testing left (involve QE earlier)
+- Improve test coverage on critical paths
+- Speed up feedback (CI/CD improvements)
+- Better requirements/acceptance criteria
+
+### Pattern 3: "We Want to Scale Quality"
+
+**What they say:** "We're growing fast, quality can't keep up"
+**What they mean:** "We can't hire enough QA fast enough"
+
+**Discovery Questions:**
+- What's your current QA:Dev ratio?
+- Where are QA resources spending time?
+- What bottlenecks exist?
+- What's your deployment process?
+
+**Typical Finding:**
+QA is a bottleneck because:
+- Manual regression testing before every deploy
+- QA as gatekeepers, not enablers
+- Developers don't write tests
+- Quality isn't a whole-team responsibility
+
+**Recommendation:**
+- Make QA role strategic, not tactical
+- Developers own test automation
+- QA focuses on exploratory testing, risk analysis
+- Build quality into development process
+- Use agentic approaches for scale
+
+## Consulting Anti-Patterns
+
+### ❌ The Cookie-Cutter
+**Problem:** Apply same solution everywhere
+**Example:** "Everyone should use Selenium for E2E"
+**Better:** Understand their context, recommend fit-for-purpose solutions
+
+### ❌ The Tool Pusher
+**Problem:** Recommend expensive tools (often for kickbacks)
+**Example:** "You need this $100k test management platform"
+**Better:** Recommend tools that solve actual problems, regardless of cost
+
+### ❌ The Process Nazi
+**Problem:** Impose rigid process
+**Example:** "You must follow these 47 steps for every release"
+**Better:** Lightweight process that fits their culture
+
+### ❌ The Permanent Fixture
+**Problem:** Never actually leave, create dependency
+**Example:** "I'll just stay on retainer... indefinitely"
+**Better:** Explicitly work toward them not needing you
+
+### ❌ The Blame Game
+**Problem:** Point fingers at people instead of fixing systems
+**Example:** "Your developers are terrible at testing"
+**Better:** "Your developers lack test infrastructure and training"
+
+## Difficult Situations
+
+### "We Already Tried That"
+
+**Response:** "Tell me more about what you tried and what didn't work."
+
+Often they tried a poor implementation or in the wrong context. Learn from their experience.
+
+### "Our Context is Special"
+
+**Response:** "You're right, every context is unique. Help me understand what makes yours special."
+
+They might be right. Or they might be making excuses. Listen first, then challenge assumptions gently.
+
+### "We Don't Have Budget/Time"
+
+**Response:** "What's the cost of not fixing this? Let's start with something small that delivers value quickly."
+
+Show ROI, start with quick wins, build momentum.
+
+### "That Won't Work Here"
+
+**Response:** "What specific constraints make this challenging? Let's adapt the approach."
+
+Acknowledge their concerns, adjust recommendations, find what WILL work.
+
+### "We Need Certification/Compliance"
+
+**Response:** "What are the actual requirements vs. what's nice to have?"
+
+Often "compliance" is over-interpreted. Find the minimum viable compliance.
+
+## Pricing Models
+
+### Time & Materials
+**Good for:** Discovery, unclear scope
+**Risk:** Client bears cost uncertainty
+**Rate:** Daily or hourly
+
+### Fixed Price
+**Good for:** Well-defined deliverables
+**Risk:** You bear scope creep risk
+**Rate:** Project-based
+
+### Retainer
+**Good for:** Ongoing advisory
+**Risk:** Scope creep if not managed
+**Rate:** Monthly fee for X hours/month
+
+### Value-Based
+**Good for:** Clear ROI metrics
+**Risk:** Requires trust and metrics
+**Rate:** % of value delivered
+
+**Example:** "If we reduce your deployment time from 4 hours to 30 minutes, saving your team 200 hours/month, my fee is $X based on that value."
+
+## Building Your Practice
+
+### Start Small
+- 1-2 clients initially
+- Focus on referrals
+- Build case studies
+- Learn from each engagement
+
+### Specialize
+- Pick a niche (fintech, healthcare, e-commerce)
+- Or a practice area (test automation, CI/CD, agentic QE)
+- Become known for something specific
+
+### Network
+- Speak at conferences
+- Write blog posts
+- Contribute to communities
+- Help people generously (leads to referrals)
+
+### Learn Continuously
+- Every client teaches you something
+- Study other consultants
+- Read business/consulting books
+- Practice your craft
+
+## Success Metrics
+
+**For You:**
+- Client satisfaction (would they hire you again?)
+- Referrals generated
+- Project profitability
+- Learning and growth
+
+**For Client:**
+- Problem actually solved (not just "we hired a consultant")
+- Team is self-sufficient
+- Measurable improvement in metrics
+- Would recommend you to others
+
+## Essential Skills
+
+### Technical Excellence
+- Deep expertise in your domain
+- Hands-on capability (not just theory)
+- Up to date with practices and tools
+
+### Communication
+- Listen more than you talk
+- Adjust message for audience
+- Written and verbal clarity
+- Facilitation skills
+
+### Business Acumen
+- Understand ROI and costs
+- Speak to business outcomes
+- Navigate organizational politics
+- Negotiation skills
+
+### Teaching
+- Transfer knowledge effectively
+- Create "aha" moments
+- Patience with learning curves
+- Adapt to different learning styles
+
+## Your Consulting Toolkit
+
+### Assessment Tools
+- Maturity models (adapted to context)
+- Interview scripts
+- Observation checklists
+- Metrics to gather
+
+### Workshop Formats
+- Example mapping
+- Risk storming
+- Retrospective facilitation
+- Technical training
+
+### Documentation Templates
+- Assessment reports
+- Implementation roadmaps
+- Practice guides
+- Handover documents
+
+### Follow-Up
+- Monthly check-ins (first 3 months)
+- Quarterly health checks
+- Open door for questions
+- Community of practice
+
+## Using with QE Agents
+
+### Automated Codebase Assessment
+
+**qe-quality-analyzer** performs comprehensive client codebase analysis:
+```typescript
+// Agent analyzes client codebase for improvement areas
+const assessment = await agent.assessCodebase({
+  scope: 'client-project/',
+  depth: 'comprehensive',
+  reportFormat: 'executive-summary',
+  includeMetrics: true,
+  includeRecommendations: true
+});
+
+// Returns:
+// {
+//   qualityScore: 0.67,
+//   testCoverage: 45,
+//   technicalDebt: 'high',
+//   securityRisk: 'medium',
+//   maintainabilityIndex: 62,
+//   recommendations: [...]
+// }
+```
+
+### Prioritized Recommendations
+
+```typescript
+// Agent generates prioritized improvement roadmap
+const recommendations = await qe-quality-analyzer.generateRecommendations({
+  assessment,
+  prioritize: 'high-impact-low-effort',
+  timeline: '3-months',
+  budget: 'medium',
+  teamSize: 5
+});
+
+// Returns phased improvement plan:
+// Phase 1 (Month 1): Critical security fixes, test automation setup
+// Phase 2 (Month 2): Improve test coverage, refactor hotspots
+// Phase 3 (Month 3): Performance optimization, monitoring
+```
+
+### ROI Analysis for Quality Improvements
+
+```typescript
+// Agent calculates ROI for quality initiatives
+const roiAnalysis = await qe-quality-analyzer.calculateQualityROI({
+  currentState: {
+    defectEscapeRate: 0.15,
+    mttr: 48,  // hours
+    deploymentFrequency: 'weekly'
+  },
+  proposedImprovements: [
+    'test-automation',
+    'ci-cd-pipeline',
+    'code-review-process'
+  ],
+  timeframe: '6-months'
+});
+
+// Returns:
+// {
+//   estimatedCost: '$50,000',
+//   estimatedSavings: '$120,000/year',
+//   paybackPeriod: '3 months',
+//   qualityImprovement: '40% fewer production bugs'
+// }
+```
+
+### Client Engagement Fleet
+
+```typescript
+const consultingFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({
+  strategy: 'client-engagement',
+  agents: [
+    'qe-quality-analyzer',         // Assess current state
+    'qe-regression-risk-analyzer',  // Risk assessment
+    'qe-quality-gate',             // Define quality gates
+    'qe-deployment-readiness'      // Deployment maturity
+  ],
+  topology: 'hierarchical'
+});
+
+await consultingFleet.execute({
+  clientProject: 'enterprise-saas',
+  deliverable: 'comprehensive-quality-assessment'
+});
+```
+
+---
+
+## Related Skills
+
+**Core Quality:**
+- [agentic-quality-engineering](../agentic-quality-engineering/) - Agent-driven consulting workflows
+- [quality-metrics](../quality-metrics/) - Metrics for client reporting
+
+**Testing:**
+- [risk-based-testing](../risk-based-testing/) - Client risk assessment
+- [holistic-testing-pact](../holistic-testing-pact/) - Comprehensive testing strategy
+
+**Communication:**
+- [technical-writing](../technical-writing/) - Client deliverables
+- [code-review-quality](../code-review-quality/) - Code quality consulting
+
+---
+
+## Remember
+
+Good consulting is about empowering teams, not creating dependency. Your success is measured by them not needing you anymore - while still wanting to work with you again.
+
+**Best compliment:** "We've got this now, but when we tackle X next year, we're calling you."
+
+Be honest. Be helpful. Be context-driven. Leave them better.