Software Quality Process

In this article I will be talking about a very important process in the software development lifecycle- the Quality Process.

What Is Quality?
• IEEE says quality is the degree to which project deliverables meet requirements and customer expectations
• Quality is acheived when project objectives are met and your customer is satisfied
• The Handbook of Software Quality definition:
“Software quality is the fitness for use of the software product.

The Quality Process consists of Quality Planning, Quality Assurance and Quality Control activities.

Managing quality in a software project involves understanding quality expectations of your customer and proactively putting together a plan to meet those expectations. The "proactive plan" contains a number of elements -- the most important of which are the quality assurance and quality control activities that need to be performed.

Quality control and quality assurance are important concepts in the software development process, yet most project managers don't have a clear understanding of the the differences between these terms. It's actually pretty easy.

Quality Control refers to quality related activities associated with the creation of project deliverables. Quality control is used to verify that deliverables are of acceptable quality and that they meet customer requirements. Examples of quality control activities include testing the deliverables.

Quality Assurance however, refers to the process used to create the deliverables. It consists of those activities which prevent the introduction of defects (flaws, anomalies). It is the planned and systematic activities implemented in a quality system so that quality requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled. Examples of quality assurance include process checklists and project audits.

In other words, Quality control emphasizes testing of products to uncover defects, and reporting to management who make the decision to allow or deny the release. Whereas quality assurance attempts to improve and stabilize production, and associated processes, to avoid, or at least minimize, issues that led to the defects in the first place.

The most popular tool used to determine quality assurance is the Shewhart Cycle, developed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. This cycle for quality assurance consists of four steps:

The four quality assurance steps within the PDCA model stand for:
· Plan: Establish objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results.
· Do: Implement the process developed.
· Check: Monitor and evaluate the implemented process by testing the results against the predetermined objectives
· Act: Apply actions necessary for improvement if the results require changes.

These steps are commonly abbreviated as PDCA.

PDCA is an effective method for monitoring quality assurance because it analyzes existing conditions and methods used to provide the product or service customers.

In Conclusion the goal of the Quality Process is to ensure that excellence is inherent in project deliverable. This means putting in place the processes which prevent the introduction of defects and testing the deliverable to make sure it meets the customers expectation.