[Testing-QA] Quality Assurance in Software Development

📋 Here are the notes summarizing what I learned from the course!

Quality Assurance in Software Development

Philosophy and History of Quality Assurance

Origins of Quality Assurance

• Quality Assurance (QA) initially focused on the physical inspection of products but evolved to include processes and systems.
• Early influencers like Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming emphasized statistical methods to improve quality, known as Statistical Quality Control (SQC).

Pioneers of Quality Management

• Joseph M. Juran and Philip B. Crosby were key figures, advocating for quality as a core business strategy.
• Deming’s 14 Points and Juran’s Trilogy were foundational to integrating quality into business management.

Defining Quality in Software

• Quality in software means that the software meets both specified requirements and user expectations effectively and efficiently.
• Attributes of software quality include:
  • User Expectations: How well the software meets user needs.
  • Measurable Attributes: Quantifiable factors like response time and error rates.
  • Fitness for Use: The software’s ability to perform its intended functions.
  • Value for Money: The return on investment from the software.

Challenges in Ensuring Software Quality

• The intangible nature of software makes it challenging to measure and improve quality.
• Software development is often seen as a craft, leading to variability in processes and outcomes.
• Rapid technological changes and tight schedules can divert focus from quality.

Evolution of Quality Practices

• Early 20th Century: Quality focused on individual product inspection.
• Post WWII: Emphasis shifted to process improvement to enhance quality, influenced heavily by the needs of military precision and reliability.
• Total Quality Management (TQM): A comprehensive approach adopted in the 1970s, emphasizing organizational process improvements.

Key Concepts in Quality Assurance

• Prevention over Inspection: Modern QA emphasizes preventing defects rather than detecting them post-facto.
• Continuous Improvement: Quality is viewed as a continuous process that involves constant adjustments and improvements.
• Stakeholder Involvement: Quality improvement is seen as a cross-functional effort that involves various stakeholders from developers to end users.

Modern Quality Initiatives

• ISO 9000 Series: Standards for quality management systems that emphasize customer satisfaction.
• Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award: Recognizes U.S. organizations for performance excellence and quality achievements.
• Six Sigma: A method that focuses on reducing defects and improving quality, initially developed by Motorola.

Resources for Further Study

• A brief history of quality: ASQ Quality History Overview

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