Deck 19: Quality Concepts

Question 1

What practices should software engineers follow to enhance the quality of software produced by their team?

Answer 1

-Software quality is the result of good project management and solid engineering practice
-To build high quality software you must understand the problem to be solved and be capable of creating a quality design the conforms to the problem requirements
-Eliminating architectural flaws during design can improve quality
Final Exam Question

Question 2

Describe the costs associated with software quality work?

Answer 2

-Prevention costs - quality planning,formal technical reviews,test equipment,training
-Appraisal costs - in-process and inter-process inspection,equipment calibration and maintenance,testing
-Internal failure costs - rework,repair,failure mode analysis
-External failure costs - complaint resolution,product return and replacement,help line support,warranty work

Question 3

Discuss how poor management decisions can impact software quality?

Answer 3

-Estimation decisions - irrational delivery date estimates cause teams to take short-cuts that can lead to reduced product quality
-Scheduling decisions - failing to pay attention to task dependencies when creating the project schedule may force the project team to test modules without their subcomponents and quality may suffer
-Risk-oriented decisions - reacting to each crisis as it arises rather than building in mechanisms to monitor risks and having established contingency plans may result in products having reduced quality

Question 4

What are three dimensions of software quality?