Page 271 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 13: Software Quality

 Historical data collection Notes
 Integration with Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)

13.4.1 Process Quality Management

Technology without great design will not achieve the marketplace advantage that is a requirement
for business success. When technology is supported by sophisticated design, the result is a
supercharged and extremely potent business tool. Quality Process specializes in the efficient
development and delivery of appealing and satisfying customer experiences that aid our clients
in their success.
An effective Quality Management process provides support for rapid adoption and consistent and
repeatable application of quality improvement methodologies. As manufacturers across the globe
are experiencing increased competitive pressure, price erosion and shorter time-to-market
requirements, they also face the challenge of products being developed and manufactured by
dispersed teams and locations. Quality can suffer in this distributed environment if it’s not made
a priority. As a result, many companies are now focused on improving overall product quality
and streamlining the processes across the product development and manufacturing organizations.

By adopting quality management processes, companies will be able to implement a
formalized quality process that is optimized for their unique requirements, use a common
language and shared terminology across the company, expose performance bottlenecks and
drive continuous, yet controlled, process improvements. Ultimately, quality management
process improvements lead to time-to-market benefits, increased competitive advantage,
and happier customers.

Example: The quality processes that we follow are based on iterative development
methodologies like XP & RUP. We make use of formalized review mechanisms derived from
Fagan’s Peer Reviews. A formalized communication process with well-defined methodologies
with clients and customers helps in developing applications and systems, which meet user
requirements to the dot.

13.5 External Standards

“International Organization of Standardization” Instead of using an acronym (IOS) they used
the Greek word for equal, which is ISO.

ISO 9000

The SEI CMM is an attempt to improve software quality by improving the underlying software
processes. Another attempt based on International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000 series is
based on software quality improvement. This standard although being used in over 130 countries
is not industry specific and can be applied to a wide range of products e.g. automobiles,
televisions, refrigerators, etc. Thus, we can conclude that ISO 9000 series is a set of documents
dealing with quality systems that can be used for software quality assurance purposes. Within
the ISO 9000 series, standard ISO 9001 is most applicable to software development.
Contrasting ISO 9001 and CMM

Although ISO 9001 and CMM are related in a lot of ways there are some issues that are covered
in one but not in the other. These differences are listed in Table 13.1.

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