Software Quality

Chapter 4Organization for Assuring Software Quality

4.1 Introduction

Who initiates, activates, operates, and controls all those components of the software quality assurance described briefly in Chapter 5 and discussed throughout this book? Who is responsible for all the activities needed to run an effective and efficient SQA system? Partial answers to these questions are sprinkled throughout the chapters of the book's first part.

In this chapter, we take an integrated look at the quality assurance organization. We focus on mangers of the various levels, from top management to development, and maintenance team leaders. All of them carry out tasks related to software quality assurance, namely, defining the quality assurance policy, performing quality assurance activities, and managing and following-up the performance. The tasks of planning SQA activities, developing SQA tools, initiating, consulting, supporting, and professionally overviewing the performance of quality assurance activities are carried out by the SQA function/unit.

For the purposes of our discussion, we refer to three levels of management found in many software development organizations and to the SQA function:

• Top management level, including the organization's general manager and its chief executive officers (CEOs).
• Department managers level, including managers of software development, maintenance, and software testing departments.
• Project managers and team leaders of development projects and maintenance services. ...