SQA development and maintenance functions:

26 SQA development and maintenance functions:

The

■ SQA standards and procedures: tasks such as development and updating of procedures, adaptations to changes in professional standards and recommen-

dations for adoption of additional standards.

Au SQA engineering: tasks such as evaluation of quality and productivity of new

development tools, development of solutions to difficulties encountered in

n it

application of software development tools, and development of methods for

and other actors

measuring software quality. ■

SQA information system: tasks such as development of software development and maintenance unit-level SQA information systems, development of systems for receipt and processing of data by the SQA Unit, and maintenance of the SQA Internet/intranet site.

(2) Describe the typical tasks of the head of an SQA unit.

in the

■ Planning tasks include preparation of proposed SQA annual activity program and budget for the SQA unit, planning of the organization’s software quality manage-

S ment system, and preparation of recommended SQA activities programs and Q

SQA system development plans for the software development departments.

A sy

■ Management tasks include monitoring implementation of the annual SQA activ-

st ities program, appointment of SQA committee members, and preparation of the em

unit’s periodic summary reports. ■

Maintaining contacts with customers and other external bodies and the execu- tive in charge of software quality.

■ SQA professional activities include participation in project joint committees, formal design reviews, and consultations with project managers, software development team leaders and others.

(3) Describe typical project life cycle tasks.

■ Control tasks: follow-up of compliance with SQA procedures, approval or rec- ommendations for approval of software products and monitoring performance of software maintenance services.

■ Follow-up and participation tasks: contract reviews, review activities, subcon- tractors’ formal design reviews and software testing, including customer acceptance tests.

(4) Describe the audit types the SQA unit is involved with.

Organizations carry out four types of SQA audits, two of which are performed by the SQA unit: ■

Internal SQA audits

SQA systems.

The other two audits, performed by other bodies, are:

Summ

External audits performed by certification bodies to obtain SQA certification (e.g., ISO 9001 certification)

External audits performed by customers who wish to evaluate their suppliers’

ar

SQA systems.

(5) Describe the development and maintenance tasks associated with SQA standards and procedures.

The tasks associated with the standards adopted by the organization include fol- low-up of developments and changes in SQA and software engineering standards and recommending adoption of additional standards.

The tasks associated with the organization’s SQA procedures include coordina- tion and participation in development, maintenance and updating of procedures as well as preparation of an annual program for development of new procedures.

(6) Describe the tasks of SQA trustees.

SQA trustees are involved in unit-related tasks and organization-related tasks, which vary considerably among organizations. ■

Typical unit-related tasks: support other unit/team members in solving difficul- ties in implementation of software quality procedures, help their unit manager in performing his SQA tasks, and report to the SQA unit on substantial and sys- tematic non-compliance situations and severe software quality failures.

Typical organization-related tasks: initiation of changes and updates of SQA procedures, initiation of organization-wide improvements of development and maintenance processes and applications to the CAB, identification of SQA train- ing needs and preparation of proposals for appropriate training and/or instruction programs.

(7) Describe and compare the types of SQA committees.

SQA committees may be permanent or ad hoc. The subjects, membership criteria and authority of permanent SQA committees are usually defined by SQA proce- dures. Ad hoc committees are quite different: establishment of ad hoc committees and their task definitions are initiated by various bodies, according to circum- stances and current needs. Members of ad hoc committees are chosen by their availability; their authority is adjusted to the committee initiators’ needs. One may expect great variation among the ad hoc committees nominated for the same task by different initiators and at different times.

(8) Describe SQA forum characteristics: scope and participants.

and implementation, quality metrics, development of software engineering tools and implementation of new tools.