You ask a big question. What do we mean by "quality" in this context? You list some processes and policies, but don't define what quality might mean in terms of

You ask a big question. What do we mean by "quality" in this context? You list some processes and policies, but don't define what quality might mean in terms of managing a software development team. I would start with creating an environment that allows everyone to do good work, cooperate and collaborate. A team people want to join and don't want to leave. A place where people get challenged and can constantly learn and improve their skills. And you have to look at the product of the team. Does their work align with the goals of the overall organization? Do the developers add value? Can you measure that value? Defining things like "politics" and "toxic behavior" gets into subjective judgments. Certainly corporate politics and bad behavior can affect morale and productivity, but how do you enforce "zero tolerance" when it comes to how people behave, or what goes on in the organization beyond your team or department? Do you have some way to measure "real results?" According to what metrics? Can you come up with fair and objective standards and measurements you can apply to everyone? I would look beyond mere processes such as test-driven development and continuous build, because one can easily imagine a productive and "high quality" development team that doesn't have those processes (read the origin story of Unix, for example). Good communication, constant and appropriate feedback, and enabling career growth all sound good, but any basic management book will tout those things, more observed in the breach in my experience.