Chapter 4 Components of the Software Quality Assurance

Chapter 4 Components of the Software Quality Assurance System Quality Management and Process Improvement 1

Classes of SQA System Components 1. Pre-project components 2. Software project life cycle components 3. Infrastructure components for error avoidance and improvements 4. Management SQA components 5. SQA standards, system certification and assessment components 6. Organizing for SQA – the human components Quality Management and Process Improvement 2

The Software Quality temple A ct SQ oje e-pr Pr Preproj ts onen omp ect S c QA Project Development plan and Quality Plan Ch. 6 Contract review Ch. 5 com pon ents Quality Infrastructure components Procedures Ch. 14 Supporting Devices Ch. 15 Training Instruction Ch. 16 Preventive Actions Ch. 17 Configuration Management Ch. 18 Quality Management Documentation Control Ch. 19 Project Progress Control Ch. 20 Software Quality Metrics Ch. 21 SQA of External Participants Ch 12 Software Maintenance Ch. 11 Software Testing Chs. 9 -10 Experts Opinion Sec. 8. 5 Peer Reviews Sec. 8. 3 Formal Design Reviews Sec. 8. 2 Project Life Cycle SQA components Standards Software Quality Costs Ch. 22 Quality Management Standards Ch. 23 Project Process Standards Ch. 24 Organizational Base – Human components Management - Ch. 25 SQA Unit - Sec. 26. 1 Quality Management and Process Improvement SQA Trustees – Sec. 26. 2 SQA Committees – Sec. 26. 2 SQA Forums – Sec 26. 4

1. Pre-project components These components assure: A. The project commitments have been effectively defined considering the resources requires, the schedule and budget B. The development and quality plans have been correctly determined These components include: A. Contract Review Contract review activities must include a detailed examination of the project proposal draft and the contract draft B. Development and quality plans After singing the contracts, project plan is prepared and its integrated quality assurance activities (the quality plan) are also prepared Quality Management and Process Improvement

2. Software project life cycle components The development life cycle is composed of two stages: 1. Development life cycle stage 2. Operation-maintenance stage SQA components at this stage include: 1. Reviews The design phase of development process produces different documents that needs review: design reports, SW test documents, installation plans, manuals…etc. Reviews can be either Formal design reviews: to formally get professional doc. Approval Peer reviews: peer review of short doc. , chapter, or reports. 2. Expert opinions support quality assessment efforts by introducing additional external capabilities into the organization’s in-house development process. (why we may need such experts? ) Quality Management and Process Improvement

2. Software project life cycle components - Continued 3. Software testing It is a formal process carried out by specialized testing team in which a software unit, several integrated SW units or an entire SW package are examined by running the programs on a computer. Testing can be classified as: Black Box Testing (functionality test) White Box Testing (Structural test) 4. Software maintenance Quality Management and Process Improvement

2. Software project life cycle components - Continued 5. Assurance of the quality of the external parts Subcontractors and customers frequently join the directly contracted developers (the suppliers) in carrying out software development projects. The larger and more complex the project, the greater the possibility that external participants will be required. (why we may need to subcontract part or all of the project? ) Most of the SQA controls applied to external participants are defined in the contracts signed between the relevant parties. Quality Management and Process Improvement

3. Management SQA Components Managerial SQA components support the managerial control of software development projects and maintenance services. Control components include: Ø Project progress control Ø Software quality metrics Ø Software quality costs. Quality Management and Process Improvement

3. Management SQA Components - continued 1. Project progress control To detect the appearance of any situation that may make difference from the projects plans and maintenance performance. Project control activities include: Resource include usage, Schedules, Risk management and Budget 2. Software quality metrics measurement is an effective tool for the support of control activities and the initiation of process improvements. Quality Management and Process Improvement

3. Management SQA Components - continued 3. Software quality costs Ø Management is especially interested in the total sum of the quality costs. Ø Quality cost analysis can help in identifying those teams whose ineffective quality assurance efforts result in higher than average quality cost. The results can then be used to help the teams improve Quality Management and Process Improvement 10

4. Infrastructure components for error avoidance and improvement Goal of infrastructure are the avoidance of software faults or at least lowering faults rates as well as improving the productivity SQA infrastructure components include: Procedures and work instructions Procedures are planned to be generally applicable and to serve the entire organization. Quality Management and Process Improvement

4. Infrastructure components for error avoidance and improvement Staff training, retraining and certification Preventive and corrective actions Implementation of changes that prevent similar failures in the future. Correction of similar faults found in among the activities performed by other teams. Implementing proven successful methodologies to enhance the probability of repeat successes. Ø The sources of these data are design review reports, software test reports, and customers’ complaints. Quality Management and Process Improvement 12

4. Infrastructure components for error avoidance and improvement § Configuration management deals with modifying software to create new versions and releases by introducing procedures to control the change process. § Documentation control Quality Management and Process Improvement 13

5. SQA standards, system certification and assessment components Objectives: Utilization of international professional knowledge Objective professional evaluation and measurement of the organization’s SQA achievement The standards available may be classified into two subclasses: Quality management standards and Project process standards. Quality Management and Process Improvement

5. SQA standards, system certification and assessment components 1. Quality management standards Ø These standards focus on what is required and leave the decision about how to achieve it to the organization. Ø The application of a managerial quality system provides a fairly objective assessment of the organization’s achievements. Ø Organizations that comply with quality achievement requirements can then seek SQA certification Ø Examples of this type of standard are: • CMMI • ISO 9001, 9000 -3 Quality Management and Process Improvement 15

5. SQA standards, system certification and assessment components 2. Project process standards are professional standards that provide practical guidelines (dealing with the question of “how”) for the development team. Ø Well-known examples of this type of standards are: • • ISO 12207 ISO 1012 Quality Management and Process Improvement 16

Tight and loose customer-supplier relationship Software projects developed by software houses for to the use of other companies are usually known as external projects or outside-contracted projects. Usually characterized by strong/tight customer-supplier relationship Software projects developed by one unit of an organization to another unit in the same organization is usually known as internal project or in-house projects (the majority of projects). Usually characterized by weak/loose customer-supplier relationship Quality Management and Process Improvement

Types of Internal Projects Administrative or operative software to be applied internally, such as Sales systems, Financial systems, HR systems and management systems Software packages originally intended to be sold to the public as packages, such as computer games, educational software, word processors and sales packages Ø Common to all these project types is the fact that no external body contributes development. Quality Management and Process Improvement as client in their

Thank you… Quality Management and Process Improvement 19

Quiz 1 Q 1) Briefly describe the Objectives of using SQA standards and certifications. Q 2) Discuss briefly the Management SQA Components. Quality Management and Process Improvement