Software Quality Assurance

Product Quality and

Process Quality

By: Adnan Khan

Product Quality
 The quality of the end product depends upon:
 The “attributes” and characteristics of the software
product
 The degree that they fulfill specific project needs
 To ensure that the product meets a defined
quality standard:
 Standards and practices for s/w product must be
defined early in the development process
 Standards must be specific to software product

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Software Attributes
 Reliability
 Usability
 Functionality
 Maintainability
 Correctness
 Portability
 Testability
 Efficiency

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Attributes are specific to S/Ware

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Classification of Software Quality
Attributes
 Performance Attributes
 Form Attributes
 Processing Attributes
 Functional Attributes
 Operational Integrity Attributes
 Maintainability Attributes

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Software Product Quality
Models
 McCall’s & Boehm’s S/W Product Quality
Model
 The ISO 9126 Standard Quality Model
 Others like Goal Question Metric.

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McCall’s Product Quality Model
 The McCall quality model is organized around
three types of Quality Characteristics:
 Factors (To specify): They describe the external view
of the software, as viewed by the users.
 Criteria (To build): They describe the internal view of
the software, as seen by the developer.
 Metrics (To control): They are defined and used to
provide a scale and method for measurement.

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McCall’s Product Quality Model

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McCall’s Product Quality Model
Use Factor Criteria
Product Usability oOperability
Operation oTraining
oCommunicativeness
oI/O Volume
oI/O Rate
Integrity oAccess Control
oAccess Audit
Efficiency oStorage Requirement
oExecution Speed
Correctness oTraceability
oCompleteness
oConsistency
Reliability oAccuracy
oError Tolerance
oConsistency
oSimplicity

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McCall’s Product Quality Model
Product Revision Maintainability oConsistency
oSimplicity
oConciseness
oSelf-descriptiveness
oModularity
Testability oSimplicity
oScope for Automation
Flexibility oExpandability
oArchitecture Usability
oSelf descriptiveness
oModularity

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McCall’s Product Quality Model
Product Re-usability oArchitectural Usability
Transition oSelf Descriptiveness
oModularity
oMachine Independence
oOperating system Independence
Portability oSelf Descriptiveness
oModularity
oMachine Independence
oOS Independence
Inter-operability oModularity
oCommunications commonality
oData commonality

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ISO 9126 Standard Quality
Model
 The objective of this standard is to provide a
framework for the evaluation of software quality.
 ISO/IEC 9126 does not provide requirements for
software, but it defines a quality model which is
applicable to every kind of software.
 It defines six product quality characteristics and
in an annex provides a suggestion of quality sub
characteristics.

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ISO 9126 Standard Quality
Model

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Process Quality
ISO 8402 Quality Definition

Quality is the totality of features

and characteristics of a
product or service that bear on
its ability to satisfy stated or
implied needs

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 Process Quality
 A Quality Process is the one that leads to the
production of high Quality Product
Quality Process = Quality Product
 To evaluate the process it has to be made
tangible.
 One way of doing this is to base the process on
a standard or model against which conformance
may be assessed
 The process evaluation only take account of and
is ultimately only as good as, the underlying
model or standard used

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Process Quality (Cont.)
 A Process Approach implies that every activity
in an organization has a defined start and finish
and can be measured.
 A software product should meet its defined
quality standards
 To ensure that the product meets a defined
quality standard:
 Standards and practices for s/w product must be
defined early in the development process
 Standards must be specific to software product
 Quality “gates” must be identified to monitor its
quality
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Standards Defined
 Standards are mandatory requirements
employed and enforced to prescribe a
disciplined uniform approach to software
development, that is mandatory
conventions and practices are in fact
standards. IEEE STD 983-1986

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Quality Standards and Models
 In Europe and wider world, the prevalent
approach is to base the process or any
evaluation of it on a Standard. e.g ISO
9000 series
 In US, the focus for process Quality
Improvement and Evaluation is Process
Maturity Model.

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Some Common Standards/Models
 CMMi for an integrated software process
 ISO 9001 for process mapping
 Six-Sigma initiative for continuous
improvement on existing processes
 PCMM for people involvement in quality
initiatives
 SPiCE Software Process Improvement
and Capability dEtermination

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References
 “Software Quality Assurance – Principles and
Practice” by Nina S Godbole
 Chapter 4
 4.3 (4.3.1, 4.3.2)
 4.4 (4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3)
 4.5 (4.5.1, 4.5.2)
 “Software Engineering” by Pressman,
 Chapter 15
 15.1.1
 15.1.2

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