How ISO 9001 Fits Into The Software World

How ISO 9001 Fits Into The Software World? Management of Software Projects and Personnel CIS 6516 March 6, 2006 Prepared by Olgu Yilmaz Swapna Mekala

Areas of discussion n n Background and Introduction Evidence n n n Motivations Benefits and challenges How ISO 9001 compares with the CMM ? Case Studies Conclusion

Introduction What is ISO? ISO stands for International standards organization n History-Where did it come from? World War-II Industry later on realized its merit n

Introduction ‘contd Different countries used different standards And concentrated on product orientation n Later on transition from product to process occurred n As market became global , companies thus found having to meet many standards for different n n countries that were sometimes conflicting and usually confusing To eliminate confusion ISO 9000 was issued

What is ISO 9000 series about? n n ISO 9000 is a series of documented standards prescribing quality management. Written by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO was established in 1987. More than 226, 000 organizations in 129 countries had received ISO 9000 registration by the end of 1997. (Hysell, D. , 1999)

Family of ISO 9000 standards ISO 9000 and ISO 9004 are guidelines for quality management and are not Mandatory for certification n ISO 9001 n ISO 9002 Quality system standards n ISO 9003 n

ISO 9001, 9002, 9003 n n n ISO 9001 is the broadest standard and provides a model for design , development, production, installation and servicing ISO 9002 is limited to production, installation and servicing ISO 9003 is further limited to inspection and testing

Overview of the ISO 9000

Overview of the ISO 9000 n A company should first use ISO 9000 to design and to implement a quality system. Once the quality has been installed, the company may use the quality assurance models of ISO 9001, ISO 9002, or ISO 9003 to demonstrate the adequacy of the quality system.

ISO 9001 n n ISO 9001 is the one of the basic ISO 9000 series of standards for Quality Assurance The standard requires: a) Say what you do b) Do what you say c) Record what is done d) Improve, based on results

Why ISO 9000 Certification n n The stakeholder-motivated approach The company implements a quality system in response to demands by customers or other stakeholders. The management-motivated approach. The company’s own management initiates the effort to install a quality system.

Reasons for Implementing a Quality System

Why ISO 9000 Certification- II n n n n Better organizational definition greater quality awareness better documentation of processes increased control of operations Ongoing analysis of and solution to problems Positive cultural change Improved customer satisfaction and increased market opportunities

Quality System Requirements n n n Management Responsibility Quality System Contract Review

The Standard Interpretation n n n Design Control Document and data control Purchasing Control of customer-supplied product Product identification and traceability Process control Inspection and testing

The Standard Interpretation n n Control of inspection, measuring and test equipment Inspection and test status Control of nonconforming product Corrective and preventive action Handling, storage, packaging, preservation and delivery

The Standard Interpretation n n Control of quality records Internal quality audits Training Servicing Statistical Techniques

How does ISO 9000 Compare with the CMM? n CMM n n Capability Maturity Model, CMM, is a framework characterizing a path for software process improvement. The path describes key practices at each five levels. n n n Level 1 - The initial level Level 2 – Repeatable Level 3 – Defined Level 4 – Managed Level 5 - Optimizing

How does ISO 9000 Compare with the CMM? n n n The CMM, developed by the Software Engineering Institute ISO 9000 series of standards, developed by the International Standards. The CMM focuses strictly on software ISO 9000 has a much broader scope: hardware, software, processed materials and services. They both share a common concern with quality and process management.

How does ISO 9000 Compare with the CMM? n n CMM is popular among the companies that target the US market. On the other hand for European market certification, ISO 9000 is the most common one.

ISO 9000 vs. CMM n n ISO certification requires auditors. The certificate will be valid for 3 years. Follow up audits every 6 months No certification with CMM. ISO 9000 standard is 50 pages, while the CMM is over 500 pages.

More about CMM comparison n Marc Paulk did a study on the similarities between ISO 9000 and the CMM in 1994. He points outs that if a company has ISO 9000 certification, a CMM audit would help the organization obtain that certification. Was he biased?

Case Study – I (Demirors et al. , 1998 ) n n In this case study, ISO 9001 compliant quality system was installed to a small organization. The purpose of the study is to report the status of the work done. The company has 39 employees, 8 of them working in software developments.

Findings from the Study Challenges n n Lack of of guidance action knowledge maturity quality personnel

Case Study – II (Hysell, 1999) n This study is about OCLC’s ( Online computer Library Center, Inc. ) implementation of ISO 9001.

Before n n Few written procedures and no controlled process for maintaining them. Much confusion about the development process and their roles in it. Much inconsistency in styles and methods. Weak control of their electronic files.

After n The ISO 9001 implementation provided n n A tracking method to ensure that staff members have understood procedures and a device to motivate them to follow the procedures consistently. Written work instructions Well-defined checkpoint, testing and quality records Written procedures approved by the organization.

After – II n n Easy access to the procedures and quality records of the entire organization Improved communication A document management system. A team-building experience – an opportunity for managers and staff to collaborate on model workflow.

Conclusion n n Searching continuously for best quality is the way to evolve. Corporations should be aware that ISO 9000 requires a serious commitment of time, energy , and financial resources. However, Eventually the corporations will get the benefit of having a strong future in the market and in their products.

Question ?