Building Software Quality Skills Course
 

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Building Software Quality Skills is a 3-day subset of our Software Quality Engineering course and is designed to provide a fundamental knowledge base and practical skills for anyone interested in implementing or improving Software Quality Engineering techniques and practices in their organization.  

This course starts with an overview of software quality engineering basics, including the benefits of software quality, a discussion of defect prevention vs. detection techniques, and an overview of software quality related standards and models.

Course attendees will learn how to establish software quality goals and objectives, document their quality management systems, and perform quality system audits.  This course will review the strengths and weakness of various life cycle models and review major activities in the software development life cycle.

This course discusses basic software project management principles and techniques as they relate to software project planning, monitoring and control.  Attendees will learn how to select, define and implement software metrics to understand, evaluate, control and predict their software process, product and services. 

This course covers the basics of software verification and validation planning with an emphasis on software peer reviews and software testing techniques.  The course ends with an overview of software configuration management, including configuration identification, control, status accounting and auditing.

Method of Instruction: This course is taught through lecture and interactive discussion and learned skills are practiced using team exercises.  Actual examples from the software industry are utilized to make the information relevant.  The emphasis is on techniques that allow the attendees to transition the skills learned in this course to their own work environments. 

Target Audience: Software quality engineers, developers, testers, project managers, functional managers, requirements analyst, and other software stakeholders who will be involved in planning and managing software projects, developing software and/or assuring its quality.

Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course attendees will be able to:

  • Understand the basics of software quality engineering, including its benefits and related models and standards

  • Plan, implement and audit a Software Quality Management program for their organization

  • Assist in defining and tailoring software engineering life cycles and processes 

  • Understand the basic software project management principles and techniques as they relate to software project planning, tracking, and control

  • Select, define, and apply software measurement and metrics techniques to their software products, processes and services 

  • Participate in peer reviews, and assist in the planning, implementation and evaluation of software testing activities

  • Understand the fundamentals of the configuration management process to include configuration identification, configuration control, status accounting, and audits.

Course Materials: Student notebooks are designed to provide reference materials that can be utilized by the attendees long after the completion of the course.  These materials include:

  •  Copies of all presentation materials with annotated descriptive notes

  • A bibliography of reference materials

  • Example solutions to all course exercises

  • An index and glossary of Software Auditing Terms

Detailed Outlines:

I: Basics of Software Quality Engineering

1. Benefits of Software Quality      

a.  Benefits of Software Quality

·  Quality Defined

·  Benefits of Software Quality

·  Increasing Costs of Fixing Defects

·  Kano Model

b.  Prevention vs. Detection

·  Mistakes, Faults & Failures

·  Testing, Debugging & Root Cause Analysis   

·  Prevention vs. Detection

·  Defect Detection Techniques

·  Defect Prevention Techniques

2. Standards & Models

a.  Definitions

b.  Importance of Standards

c.  ISO 9001 – Quality Management System

d.  ISO 9001:2000

e.  IEEE Software Engineering Standards

f.  IEEE/EIA 12207

g.  SEI Capability Maturity Model for Software (SW-CMM®)

h.  SEI SW-CMM® vs. SEI CMMISM Staged

i.   SEI CMMISM Staged Representation

j.  SEI CMMISM Continuous Representation

II: Software Quality Management

1. Software Quality Goals & Objectives

a.  Total Quality Management

b.  Customer/Supplier Chain

c.  Software Quality Plan

d.  Software Acquisition

e.   Supplier Management

2. Software Quality Management System (QMS) Documentation

a.  Software QMS Documentation Hierarchy

b.  Processes

c.  ETVX Process Definition

d.  Process Definition Critical Attributes

e.  Process Documentation – Example

f.  Process Documentation – Exercise

g.  Process Architecture

h.  Process Tailoring

3. Problem Reporting & Corrective Action

a.  Problem Report & Corrective Action Procedures

·  Problem Report Process

·  Corrective Action Process

b.  Quality Improvement Processes

·  Process Improvement

·  IDEALSM Model for Process Improvement

·  Process Owners

·  Barriers to Implementation

4. Audits

a.  Audit Program

·  Audit Defined

·  Purpose of an Audit Program

·  Participant Roles

·  Initiator

·  Auditor Management

·  Lead Auditor

·  Auditors

·  Auditee Management

·  Auditee

·  Escort

b.  Audit Preparation & Execution

·  Types of Audits

·  Audit Steps

·  Audit Initiation

·  Audit Entry Criteria

·  Audit Inputs

·  Audit Plan

·  Prepare for the Audit

·  Audit Execution

·  Opening Meeting

·  Gathering Objective Evidence

·  Checklists

·  Interviewing

·  Tracing

·  Daily Meetings

·  Closing Meeting   

·  Audit – Exercise

c.  Audit Reporting & Follow Up

·  Audit Report

·  Corrective Action

·  Corrective Action Plan

·  Evaluating the Corrective Action Plan

·  Verification Follow-up

III: Software Engineering Processes

1. Life Cycle Methods

a.  Waterfall Model 

b.  V Model

c.  U-Dot Model

d.  Spiral Model

e.  Incremental Model

f.  Rapid Application Development

g.  Evolutionary Development

h.  Rapid Prototyping

i.  Choosing a Model

2. Life Cycle Activities

a.  Concept Activities

·  Purpose of Concept Activities

·  Concept Documentation   

b.  Requirements Activities

·  Purpose of Requirements Activities

·  System Requirements

·  System Architectural Design

·  System vs. Software Requirements

·  Software Requirements

·  Requirements Elicitation  

·  Context-Free Questions

·  Requirements Analysis

·  Modeling Techniques

·  Requirements Specification

·  Software Requirements Specification

·  Requirements Verification

·  Requirements Checklist

c.  Design Activities

·  Purpose of Design Activities

·  Software Architectural Design

·  Architectural Design Documentation

·  Detailed Design Documentation

·  Design Verification

d.  Implementation Activities

·  Purpose of Implementation Activities

·  Code Verification

e.  Test Activities

·  Purpose of Test Activities

f.  Operations Activities

·  Purpose of Replication, Delivery & Installation

·  Products of Replication, Delivery & Installation

g.  Maintenance & Retirement

·  Purpose of Maintenance

·  Maintenance Products

·  Retirement

3. Requirements Management

a.  Purpose of Requirements Management    

b.  Requirements Management Practices

c.  Requirements Churn

d.  Traceability

IV: Program & Project Management

1. Planning

a.  Project Management Basics

·  Project Defined

·  Purpose of Project Management 

·  Software Project Management Process

·  Cost/Schedule/Product

·  Project Success   

b.  Project Planning

·  Goals of Software Project Planning

·  Project Objectives

·  Software Project Management Plan

·  Software Project Deliverables

c.  Project Estimation & Scheduling

·  Work Breakdown Structure

·  Types of Work Breakdown Structures

·  Include Everything

·  Work Breakdown Structure – Exercise

·  Estimation

·  Scheduling

2. Monitoring & Control

a.  Monitoring Tools & Metrics

·  Gantt Charts

·  Staff & Resource Tracking

·  Productivity Tracking

b.  Monitoring Reviews

·  Project Team Status Reviews

·  Senior Management Reviews

·  Phase Transition & Milestone Reviews

·  Post Project Reviews

c.  Project Control

·  Corrective Action

V: Software Metrics, Measurement & Analytical Methods

1. Metrics & Measurement Theory

a.  Measurement Theory

·  Software Metrics Defined

·  Measurement Defined

·  Entities & Attributes

·  Mapping System

b.  Why Measure

·  Roles of Measurement

2. 12 Steps to Useful Software Metrics

a.  ISO/IEC 15939

b.  The 12 Step Process

c.  Selecting Metrics

·  Two Schools of Thought    

·  Step 1 – Identify Metrics Customer

·  Goal/Question/Metrics Paradigm

·  Step 2 – Target Goals

·  Step 3 - Ask Questions

·  Drilling Down to Lower-Level Goals

·  Step 4 - Select Metrics

·  Metric Selection - Exercise

·  Selecting Metrics for Implementation

·  Evaluate Existing Metrics

·  Metrics Requirement Statement 

·  Metrics Requirement Statement - Exercise

d.  Designing Metrics

·  Why Standardization is Important

·  Step 5 – Standardize Definitions  

·  Standardize Definitions - Example

·  Step 6 – Choose a Model

·  Simplification

·  Selecting a Model

·  Tailoring a Model

·  Step 7 – Establish Counting Criteria

·  Types of Counting Criteria

·  Counting Criteria - Examples

·  Step 8 – Defining Decision Criteria

·  Decision Criteria for Control Type Metrics

·  Decision Criteria for Evaluate Type Metrics

·  Decision Criteria for Understand & Predict Type Metrics

·  Confidence Level

·  Decision Criteria - Example

·  Step 9 – Design Reporting Mechanisms

·  Report Timing

·  Report Delivery     

·  Design Reporting Mechanisms - Example

·  Step 10 – Determine Additional Qualifiers

e.  Collecting Data

·  Step 11 – Collect Data

·  Who Collects the Data?  

·  Data Collection Training     

·  Data Collection Objectives

·  How to Collect Data

·  Defining Data Collection - Example

f.  Considering Human Factors

·  Step 12 - Consider Human Factors

·  Human Factor – What Not to Do 

·  Human Factor – What to Do

3. Process & Product Measurement

a.  Commonly Used Metrics

·  Structural Complexity

·  Size – Lines of Code

·  Size – Function Points

·  Size – Other Size Metrics

·  Defect Density

·  Incident Report Arrival Rate

·  Incident Report Closure Metrics

·  System Performance

·  Reliability

·  Customer Satisfaction

b.  Quality Attributes

c.  Defect Detection Effectiveness Measures

·  Phase Containment Effectiveness

·  Defect Detection Efficiency

·  Defect Prevention

d.  Program Performance & Process Effectiveness

·  Program & Project Effectiveness

·  Process Effectiveness

·  Cycle Time

VI: Software Verification & Validation

1. Verification & Validation Planning

a.  Verification & Validation Defined

b.  V&V Throughout the Life Cycle

c.  V&V Plan

d.  V&V Task Iteration

e.  Traceability

f.  Test Matrix – Example

2. Peer Reviews

a.  Types of Peer Reviews

·  What Can You Peer Review?

·  Benefits of Peer Reviews

·  Types of Peer Reviews

b.  Peer Review Processes

·  Desk Checking Process

·  Walkthrough & Inspection Roles

·  Walkthrough Process

·  Inspection Process

·  Factors Affecting Peer Review Quality

3. Testing

a.  Testing Defined

·  Testing Principles

·  Levels of Testing

b.  Test Activities & Documentation

·  Testing Activities – Peer Reviews

·  Testing Activities – Test Planning & Design

·  Testing Activities – Test Execution

·  Test Documentation

c.  Structural (White Box) Testing

·  Condition/Decision Coverage

·  Loop Testing

d.  Integration Testing

·  Top Down Integration Strategy

·  Stubs

·  Bottom Up Integration Strategy

·  Drivers

e.  Functional (Black Box) Testing

·  Testing Functions

·  Testing Use Case Scenarios

·  State Testing

·  Equivalence Class Partitioning

·  Boundary Value Testing

·  Error Guessing

·  Operational Profile Testing

·  Threads

·  Testing Non-Functional Requirements

·  Testing Non-Functional Requirements – Load, Volume & Stress

·  Testing Non-Functional Requirements – Localization Testing

f.  Regression Testing

g.  Evaluating the Testing Effort

·  Factors Affecting Quality of Testing

·  Reviewing Test Effort

VII: Software Configuration Management

1. Configuration Infrastructure

a.  Configuration Management

·  Configuration Management Defined

·  Software Configuration Management Goals & Practices

·  Software Configuration Management Responsibilities

·  Software Configuration Management Activities

·  Software Configuration Management Plans

b.  Library Processes

·  Library Functions

·  SCM Library Types

·  SCM Library Procedures – Creating a New Module

·  SCM Library Procedures – Testing a Build

·  SCM Library Procedures – Modifying a Controlled Module

·  SCM Library Procedures – Releasing a Build

·  SCM Library Procedures – Backup

2. Configuration Identification

a.  Configuration Items

·  Configuration Identification Activities

·  What Are Configuration Items?

·  Software System Decomposition

b.  Baselines

·  Baselines Defined

·  Types of Baselines

·  Acquisition

·  Version, Releases & Revisions

c.  Configuration Identification Methods

·  Unique Identifiers

·  Build Identification Scheme – Example

·  Document Identification Scheme – Example

3. Configuration Control

a.  Configuration Control

·  Sources of Change

·  Configuration Control Procedures

·