Software Design for Six Sigma: A Roadmap for Excellence

Chapter 6. STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES IN SOFTWARE SIX SIGMA AND DESIGN FOR SIX SIGMA (DFSS)^[73]

INTRODUCTION

A working knowledge of statistics is necessary to the understanding of software Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). This chapter provides a very basic review of appropriate terms and statistical methods that are encountered in this book. This statistics introductory chapter is beneficial for software development professionals, including software Six Sigma and DFSS belts, measurement analysts, quality assurance personnel, process improvement specialists, technical leads, and managers.

Knowledge of statistical methods for software engineering is becoming increasingly important because of industry trends^[74] as well as because of the increasing rigor adopted in empirical research. The objectives of this chapter are to introduce basic quantitative and statistical analysis techniques, to demonstrate how some of these techniques can be employed in software DFSS process, and to describe the relationship of these techniques to commonly accepted software process maturity models and standards.

Statistical analysis is becoming an increasingly important skill for software engineering practitioners and researchers. This chapter introduces the basic concepts and most commonly employed techniques. These techniques involve the rigorous collection of data, development of statistical models describing that data, and application of those models to decision making by the software DFSS team. ...