CS T, H T’Christopher Gardner

Administrivia n T’Christopher Gardner n Office Hours half hour before and after class n – if you desperately need me :) n The Handouts n The Projects

Specification: Standard Gauge Train Tracks 4’ 8.5” n They’re built that way in England –England makes much of the world’s Rail lines n They were built by the people who built the pre-railway Tramways n The tram people used the same jigs and tools used for building Wagons

Specification: Standard Gauge Train Tracks 4’ 8.5” n Wagon wheels had to operate over rutted roads n Roads were built by the Romans –Transportation system for Legions –Ruts created by Chariots »Chariots are the width of 2 horses/harnesses

Any Unexpected Results of the Specification? n SRBs –Thiokol, Utah n A major design feature of, arguably, the most advanced transportation system in the world was defined by a horse’s bottom...

Software Quality Engineering CS410 Class 1 Quality Overview, TQM

What is Software Quality? n Conformance to requirements (Crosby) –Problems: »What if requirements are wrong? »How do you know if requirements are being met? n Fitness For Use (Juran/Gruna) –Problems: »How many different ways are there for a customer to ‘use’ a product? n Customer’s view of Quality –Perceived value of the product based on price, performance, reliability, and satisfaction

Two Perspectives on Quality n “small q” –Intrinsic product quality »defect rate - how many bugs, or missing functions »What is considered a defect to the customer? »reliability - how often it fails n “big Q” –Broader level of quality »product quality »process quality »customer satisfaction

Two Perspectives (cont.) n Will a good “q” guarantee customer satisfaction? –Issues »Performance »Requirements »Service »Documentation n Can you achieve a good “Q” without a good “q”? –Bugs and poor reliability lead to poor customer satisfaction

Quality Parameters Quality attributes to quantify Customer Satisfaction n IBM - CUPRIMDSO –Capability –Usability –Performance –Reliability –Installability –Maintainability –Documentation –Service –Overall n Hewlett-Packard - FURPS –Functionality –Usability –Reliability –Performance –Serviceability

Quality Parameters (cont.) n Weighting of parameters n Characteristics of system will help determine what’s important –What is important here? »Life support system »Word processor »Network based systems n Trade-offs (see fig 1.1 p. 6)

Customer(s) of Quality n Who is the customer of Quality? –External - the ones who buy/use the product –Internal - the ones at the next phase of the development process n Process quality vs. Product Quality –Which is more important? –Are they related? –Can you achieve good product quality without having good process quality?

Total Quality Management (TQM) n Term coined by the U.S. Navy (1985) to encompass various quality methods and ideas from the 70’s and 80’s. n A management style aimed at achieving long-term success by linking quality with customer satisfaction n A corporate culture where all team members participate in the improvement of processes, products, and services

Total Quality Management (cont.) n TQM is used today by many large and small companies: –Hewlett-Packard Total Quality Control »Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) awarded 1988 »Focus on management commitment, leadership, customer focus, total participation, and systematic analysis »Strategies and plans drive quality improvements, efficiency, and responsiveness

Total Quality Management (cont.) –Motorola Six Sigma Strategy »Focus on achieving stringent quality levels in order to obtain total customer satisfaction »Cycle time reduction and participative management are key elements –IBM Marked Driven Quality »MBNQA awarded 1990 for AS/400 development »Focus on defect elimination, cycle time reduction, customer satisfaction, and MBNQA adherence »“Customer is final arbiter”

Key elements of TQM n Customer focus - Understand customer wants and needs. Measure and manage customer satisfaction. n Process - Stabilize process and achieve continuous process improvement. Product quality will be enhanced through process improvement

Key elements of TQM (cont.) n Human side of quality - Create a company culture about quality. Focus areas: Management, leadership, empowerment, social, psychological and human factors. n Measurement and analysis - Drive continuous improvement in all quality parameters through a goal-oriented measurement system.

Organizational Frameworks n Designed to substantiate the TQM philosophy n Quality Improvement Paradigm (QIP) –Continuous improvement based on a set of evolving goals, and evaluation of these goals »1 - Characterize the project »2 - Set the goals »3 - Choose appropriate process »4 - Execute process (and gather data) »5 - Analyze data »6 - Package the experience for reuse

Organizational Frameworks (cont.) n Capability Maturity Model (CMM) –Developed by SEI at Carnegie-Mellon Univ. –Based on an organizational self-assessment –5 defined levels of maturity –Action plans to achieve the next level are set –Each level has characteristics and expectations –Level 5 is a “continuous improvement” level

Key Concepts n Quality is hard to define and measure –“I know it when I see it” n If you can’t measure it - You can’t manage it –Quality and metrics are closely linked n Quality is hard to achieve n Corporate culture and management style drive quality n Customer satisfaction is the true test of quality n Who cares about quality awards? - The CUSTOMER!