Page 192 - SOFTWARE TESTING & QUALITY ASSURANCE

Anuj Sharma, Lovely Professional University Unit 13: Quality Management in Organisation

Unit 13: Quality Management in Organizations

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
13.1 Test Management and Organizational Structure

13.2 Software Quality Assurance Metrics
13.3 Summary
13.4 Keywords
13.5 Self Assessment
13.6 Review Questions

13.7 Further Readings
Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• Describe the test management and organizational structure
• Explain software quality assurance metrics
Introduction

We are aware of the fact that software testing alone cannot guarantee a product’s quality. An
organization strives to improve the quality of the product through various ways. Firstly, organizations
institute various standards and methodologies of software development. Then the development of the
software are carefully and methodically monitored and evaluated. There might be several problems
faced during development which are corrected and then a methodology to prevent such errors is also
taken care of. It is after this process that the software is tested. Organizations hence have a quality
assurance group to achieve their goal of quality control. Total Quality management approach has great
ramification in this regard, which creates a quality culture in organizations. The quality culture thus
permeates into the entire organization and includes the grass-root developer who creates the
foundation of the software product.
The contribution of software quality metrics is to assess whether the process of development follows the
software quality requirements. The quantitative analysis that is brought about by software quality
metrics brings clarity, thereby reducing subjectivity in the assessment of software quality. The use of
metrics helps in analysis of software projects and does not eliminate the human judgment. It makes
software quality more visible. We would discuss the various factors that affect software quality metrics
in this unit.
13.1 Test Management and Organizational Structure
Test management is an important part of software quality. It is the practice of categorizing and
controlling the entire software process. The goal of test management is to allow software teams to
develop, execute, and evaluate all the testing activities within the overall software development. In
addition to test management, the test group's name and its implicit responsibilities deeply affect and fit
into the organization’s overall management structure.
The organizational structure is the hierarchical arrangement within an organization, which organizes its
line of authority and flow of communications. There are various organizational structures available.
Each has its positive and negative features. Some of the common structures are discussed below.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 185