Software Quality Assurance

Chapter 2 Quality Culture

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• – understand the cost of quality;
• – recognize the signs of a quality culture;
• – identify the compromises of the five dimensions of a software project;
• – know and follow the software engineer's code of ethics.

2.1 Introduction

In this chapter, we consider the concepts of the cost of quality, quality culture, and the code of ethics for software engineers. The issues related to quality will be applied to the context of software development. The principles set out in this book apply to those who develop, maintain, and work on information technology infrastructure, be it computer technicians, management computer specialists, or software and IT engineers. Typically, software engineers graduate from a school of engineering and are members of a professional order. We know that the term “software engineer” is currently used freely in both universities and the business world. Very few software engineers have obtained certified university degrees. For the engineer who is a member of a professional association, quality is part of the civil liabilities for the profession and must be managed prudently.

Non-quality in software has led to several catastrophes. In this chapter, we present examples where poor quality culture and the lack of a code of ethics have led to disastrous situations involving poor quality software and irreversible damage to people and the environment.

The following description is of the ...