2 Lion Quality Software (LQS) Ltd – software quality policy The Company’s Quality Goal
Frame 25.2 Lion Quality Software (LQS) Ltd – software quality policy The Company’s Quality Goal
The principal goal of Lion Quality Software is to provide software products and software maintenance services that fully comply with customer requirements and expectations, at the scheduled time and according to the agreed budget.
The Company’s Quality Policy
The quality policy adopted by LQS supports this goal by: ■
Assigning maximum priority to customer satisfaction by promptly fulfilling requirements and expectations and requests and complaints.
■ Involving employees in determination of quality objectives and commitment to their achievement.
■ Performing development and maintenance tasks correctly the first time around and minimizing the need for rework and correction.
■ Assuring the high and adequate professional and managerial level of its employees, a value maintained by offering incentives and encouragement for its employees to achieve professional excellence.
■ Performing quality assurance activities throughout the software life cycle to
25 ensure the achievement of the required quality objectives. M
■ Applying its quality assurance standards to subcontractors and suppliers.
a Only those that qualify will be incorporated in the Company’s development n
a projects and maintenance services. gement
■ Aiming at continuous improvement of development and maintenance productivity as well as SQA effectiveness and efficiency.
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■ Allocating all the organizational, physical and professional resources necessary to realize software quality assurance objectives.
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Lionel Johnson –––––––––––––––––
Marcel Talbot –––––––––––––––––
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L. T. Johnson, President M. Talbot, General Manager Industrial Park, CA, February 12, 2003
are quality
The organization’s software quality policy, as might be anticipated, is stated in general terms. So, it is quite common to find that one organization’s software quality policy declaration can be easily transferred to another
a organization “as is” or with only minor change. ss
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25.1.2 The executive in charge of software quality
e The responsibilities of the executive in charge of software quality issues may
be classified as follows:
Responsibility for preparation of an annual SQA activities program and budget
Responsibility for preparation of SQA system development plans
Overall control of implementation of the annual SQA regular activities program and planned SQA development projects
Presentation and advocacy of SQA issues to executive management. The details of these responsibilities will now be discussed in greater detail.
Responsibility for preparation of an annual SQA activities program and budget This requires the executive to:
Establish the system’s SQA objectives for the coming year
Review proposals prepared by the SQA unit for the annual activities pro- gram and verify the proposals’ potential to fulfill the objectives set for the SQA system
Determine whether the activities program is adequate to the characteris- 547 tics and scope of subcontractor services and software purchases planned
for the coming year
Determine the adequacy of the manpower and other resources planned for implementation of the SQA program
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Approve the final version of the annual SQA activities program and budget.
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Responsibility for preparation of SQA system development plans
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Such plans must be able to cope with technological changes as well as shifts in
customer demands and competition. The associated responsibilities include:
Review of trends that are expected to affect the organization’s software
quality
quality in the near future.
Review proposals for SQA adaptations. For example, attempts to penetrate
a new market induced introduction of new software development tools and
the need to comply with software quality standards never before applied by
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the company. The adaptation of the SQA system included:
– Preparation of new procedures appropriate to the new tools and SQA standards
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– Preparation of training programs for veteran software development teams and newly recruited team members – Development of software quality metrics appropriate for evaluating the
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new tools and standards as well as the success of the training programs.
Approval of the final version of the planned SQA development projects, including their schedules and budgets.
Overall control of implementation of the annual SQA program and planned projects The executive in charge is responsible for:
General supervision of the annual activities program
Review of progress of the SQA adaptation projects
General supervision of actions taken to realize the quality achievements dictated by the teams’ objectives (based on periodic reports)
Review of compliance with SQA procedures and standards (based on internal quality audits)
General follow-up of compliance to software development project sched- ules and budgets
General follow-up of provision of quality maintenance services to exter- nal and internal customers.
548 Presentation and advocacy of SQA issues to executive management
25 In order to promote quality and resolve SQA system difficulties requires: M
Presentation for final approval of the proposed annual activities program
a and budget n
a ■ Presentation for final approval of planned SQA adaptation projects gement
together with the corresponding budgets
Initiation and leadership of periodic management review meetings dedicat-
and its ed to the organization’s software quality policy and attendant SQA system
issues, summarized in a report on the subjects covered (see Section 25.1.3)
Initiation of management-level discussions dedicated to special software
ro quality events, such as severe quality failures, threats to the successful le in softw completion of projects due to severe professional staff shortages, mana-
gerial crises in the SQA unit, and so on.