ELECTIVE III: SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE

SEMESTER: IV 2018-19 ONWARDS

SUBJECT CODE: 18MIT41E
UNIT IV:
Procedures and work instructions: the need –
procedure manuals – work instruction manuals –
preparation, implementation and updating.
Supporting quality devices: templates – checklists.
Staff training and certification: “3S” development
team- the objectives – training and certification
process – determining training and updating needs –
defining positions requiring certification – planning
the certification processes – delivery of training and
certification programs.

Procedures and work instructions

The need for procedures and work instructions
SQA procedures and work instructions aim at:
■ Performance of tasks, processes or activities in the
most effective and efficient way without deviating
from quality requirements.
■ Effective and efficient communication between the
separate staffs involved in the development and
maintenance of software systems. Uniformity in
performance, achieved by conformity with procedures
and work instructions, reduces the misunderstandings
that lead to software errors.

■ Simplified coordination between tasks and

activities performed by the various bodies of the
organization. Better coordination means fewer errors.
Hierarchy for the development of procedures and work
instructions
Procedures and procedures manuals
The Five W’s: issues resolved by procedures
■ What activities have to be performed?
■ HoW should each activity be performed?
■ When should the activity be performed?
■ Where should the activity be performed?
■ Who should perform the activity?
Fixed table of contents for procedures
1 Introduction *
2 Purpose
3 Terms and abbreviations *
4 Applicable documents
5 Method
6 Quality records and documentation
7 Reporting and follow-up *
8 Responsibility for implementation *
9 List of appendices *
Appendices *
* Sections included only if applicable
The procedures manual
■ The types of software development and maintenance
activities carried out by the organization
■ The range of activities belonging to each activity type
■ The range of customers (e.g., internal, customers of
custom-made software,
COTS software customers) and suppliers (e.g., self-
development and maintenance, subcontractors, suppliers of
COTS software and reused software modules)
■ The conceptions governing the choice of method
applied by the organization to achieve desired SQA
objectives.
SQA procedure manuals – Table Of Contents
Work instructions and work instruction manuals
Procedures and work instructions: preparation,
implementation and updating

Preparation of new procedures

The initial steps taken in development of a new SQA
procedures manual should deal with the conceptual and
organizational frameworks that determine the menu of the
proposed procedures and who will be responsible for their
preparation, updating and approval.

Implementation of new or revised procedures

Approval of a new or revised procedure says little
about the ease of that procedure’s implementation, which
is a separate and often difficult issue. In many cases,
distribution of the material in printed or e-mail form and
instruction of the team or unit are insufficient to assure full
or nearly full conformity.

Updating procedures
The motivation to update existing procedures is based,
among other things, on the following:
■ Technological changes in development tools,
hardware, communication equipment, etc.
■ Changes in the organization’s areas of activity
■ User proposals for improvement
■ Analysis of failures as well as successes
 ■ Proposals for improvements initiated by internal
audit reports
■ Learning from the experience of other
organizations
■ Experiences of the SQA team

Supporting quality devices

TEMPLATE:
In other areas of work, a template is “a gauge, pattern or
mold (as a thin plate or board) used as a guide to the form
of a piece being made” (Webster’s New College
Dictionary). When applied to software engineering, the
term template refers to a format (especially tables of
contents) created by units or organizations, to be applied
when compiling a report or some other type of document.

Three examples of templates are

1. Software test plan (STP)
2. Software test description (STD)
3. Software test report (STR).

The contribution of templates to software quality

Template use is quite advantageous to development teams
and to review teams. For development teams, template
use:
■ Facilitates the process of preparing documents by
saving the time and energy required to elaborate the
report’s structure. Most organizations allow templates to be
copied from a SQA public file or downloaded from the
organization’s intranet files, which even saves keying the
table of contents to the new document.
■ Ensures that documents prepared by the developer
are more complete as all the subjects to be included in the
document have already been defined and repeatedly
reviewed by numerous professionals over the course of the
template’s use. Common errors, such as overlooking a
topic, are less likely to occur.
■ Provides for easier integration of new team
members through familiarity. The document’s standard
structure, prepared according to templates that may be
known to the new member from previous work in another
of the organization’s units or teams, makes finding
information much easier. It also smoothes ongoing
document preparation in cases where parts of the document
have been prepared by another team member who may or
may not have left.
■ Facilitates review of documents by eliminating the
need to study a document’s structure and confirm its
completeness, if the document is based on the appropriate
template. It also simplifies review of the completed
document as its structure is standard and reviewers are
familiar with its expected contents (chapters, sections and
appendices). As a result of this consistency, the review is
expected to be more thorough yet less time-consuming.
For software maintenance teams, template use:
■ Enables easier location of the information required
for performing maintenance tasks.

The organizational framework for preparing,

implementing and updating templates

Preparation of new templates

Development of a template infrastructure naturally centers
on the work of a group of professionals devoted to the task.
This group (or committee) should include senior staff who
represent the various software development lines, the
department’s chief software engineer and SQA unit
members. Informal developers of “template services”
should likewise be encouraged to join the group.

The most common information sources used in preparing a

template are as follows:
■ Informal templates already in use in the organization
■ Template examples found in professional publications
■ Templates used by similar organizations

Application of templates
Several fundamental decisions are involved in the
implementation of new or updated templates:
■ What channels should be used for advertising the
templates?
■ How should the templates be made available to the
organization’s internal “consumers”?
■ Which templates will be compulsory and how can their
application be enforced?
All professional internal means of communication can be
used for advertising templates internally within the
organization: leaflets, e-mail, SQA intranet as well as short
presentations at meetings. One of the most efficient
methods of making templates available to the organization
is the internal net (intranet), to be preferred to any paper-
based route. Distribution through the internal net ensures
user choice of the updated version of the template needed
and, at the same time, saves keying in (required for paper-
based templates) of the document’s table of contents.

Updating templates
The decision to update an existing template may be
considered a reactive measure, stemming from any of the
following:
■ User proposals and suggestions
■ Changes in the organization’s areas of activity
■ Proposals initiated by design review and inspection
teams based on their review of documents prepared
according to the templates
■ Analysis of failures as well as successes
■ Other organizations’ experience
■ SQA team initiatives.
The process of updating templates is quite similar to that of
template preparation.
Checklists
The checklist used by software developers refers to the list
of items specially constructed for each type of document,
or a menu of preparations to be completed prior to
performing an activity (e.g., installing a software package
at the customer site). Checklists are planned to be
comprehensive if not complete. Usually, checklist use
tends to be considered an optional infrastructure tool,
depending mainly on the list’s professional attributes, user
acquaintance with the list and availability.

Proposal draft reviews – Subjects checklist

Contract draft review – Subjects checklist
 The contribution of checklists to software
quality
■ Helps developers carrying out self-checks of
documents or software code
■ Assists developers in their preparations for tasks
such as installation of software at customer sites,
performance of quality audits at subcontractors’ sites or
signing contracts with suppliers of reused software
modules
The advantages to review teams are:
■ Assures completeness of document reviews by
review team members as all the relevant review items
appear on the list.
■ Facilitates improves efficiency of review
sessions as the subjects and order of discussion are defined
and well known in advance.

The organizational framework for preparing,

implementing and updating checklists

Preparation of new checklists

■ Informal checklists already in use in the organization
■ Checklist examples found in books and other
professional publications
■ Checklists used by similar organizations.
The process of preparing a new checklist is similar to
that for templates.
Promotion of checklist use
As the use of checklists is rarely mandatory,
promotion of their use is based on advertising and
guaranteed availability. All internal channels of
communication can be used for publicizing the checklists:
leaflets, e-mail, SQA intranet as well as professional
meetings. The internal net remains, however, the preferred
and most efficient method for making checklists available
to the organization’s internal “consumers”.
Updating checklists
Like templates and procedures, initiatives to update an
existing checklist generally flow from the following
sources:
■ User proposals and suggestions
■ Changes in technology, areas of activity and clientele
■ Proposals initiated by design review and inspection
teams emanating from document reviews
■ Analysis of failures as well as successes
■ Other organizations’ experience
■ SQA team initiatives.
The process of updating checklists is quite similar to
their preparation.
Staff training and certification
Introduction: surprises for the “3S” development
team
Team 7 of “3S – Sahara Software Specialists” started
a new project for Apollo Ltd three weeks late because
of delays in completion of the previous project.
At this point, seven weeks behind schedule, the
team leader concluded that the “super saver strategy”
applied to training, as well as the “super short-cut
procedure” implemented in recruitment, instruction
and follow-up,had proven to be quite costly.

The objectives of training and certification

■ To develop the knowledge and skills new staff
need to perform software development and
maintenance tasks at an adequate level of efficiency
and effectiveness. Such training facilitates integration
of new team members.
■ To assure conformity to the organization’s
standards for software products (documents and
code) by transmitting style and structure procedures
together with work instructions.
■ To update the knowledge and skills of veteran staff
in response to developments in the organization, and
to assure efficient and effective performance of tasks
as well as conformity to the organization’s style and
structure procedures and work instructions.
■ To transmit knowledge of SQA procedures.
■ To assure that candidates for key software
development and maintenance positions are
adequately qualified.

The training and certification process

■ Determine the professional knowledge requirements
for each position
■ Determine the professional training and updating needs
■ Plan the professional training program
■ Plan the professional updating program
■ Define positions requiring certification
■ Plan certification processes
■ Deliver training, updating and certification programs
■ Perform follow-up of trained and certified staff.
Training and certification activities are meant to fill the
needs of veteran staff and new employees.
The training and certification process
Determining training and updating needs
Training and updating needs are determined by
comparison of the staff’s current knowledge with the
updated knowledge requirements. The type of training is
adapted to the needs of three distinct groups of staff:
■ Training: for new employees, according to their
designated assignment
■ Retraining: for employees assigned to new
positions or receiving new assignments
■ Updating: for staff members as demanded by their
position.
The need to update staff should be assessed regularly to
facilitate planning of the required programs.
Finally, follow-up of staff performance in the wake of
training and updating provides major input to be used in
redefining training needs.

Defining positions requiring certification

It is commonly accepted that assignment of personnel
to key positions in software development and maintenance
organizations requires extreme care.
One of the procedures used to guarantee the suitability of
candidates is certification.
Examples of positions frequently requiring
certification of their occupants are software development
team leader, programming team leader, software testing
team leader, software maintenance technician and internal
quality auditor. The last two positions are particularly
sensitive because their occupants’ activities are usually
performed by one staff member, acting alone, and subject
to little close control or support by superiors.
A certification committee (or a designated senior staff
member) defines the list of positions that require
certification and whether the certification will be effective
permanently or for a limited period. Considering the
volatility of the profession, this list should be revised
periodically. Renewal of limited period certification
demands that staff members demonstrate up-to-date
knowledge and skills according to the current certification
requirements.
The list of positions that require certification naturally
varies by firm or organization. Some use certification
sparingly while others apply this tool on a large scale, even
to standard programmers.

Planning the certification processes

Certification is intended to provide a framework for
the thorough investigation of a candidate’s qualifications
and a demonstration of his or her professional knowledge
and skills. The details of the certification process are
unique to the organization; they reflect its special
characteristics, areas of specialization, software
development and maintenance tools, customers and so on.
Because the process is geared toward the needs and
decisions of specific organizations, internal certification
cannot be automatically substituted by the general
certification that is granted by professional societies and
leading suppliers of development tools and network
communication software or their equivalents.
The certification process, in every detail and for every
position, requires approval as defined in the certification
procedure.

Typical certification requirements

For the individual undergoing certification, a typical
certification process entails meeting some or even all of the
following requirements:
■ Professional education: academic or technical degrees
and in some cases certification by a professional
organization or by a leading commercial software producer
■ Internal training courses
■ Professional experience in the organization (may be
partially or completely replaced by experience in other
organizations)
■ Assessment of achievements and ability as noted in
periodic performance appraisals
■ Evaluation by the candidate’s direct superior (often by
completion of a special questionnaire)
■ Demonstration of knowledge and skills by means of a
test or a project
■ Mentor’s supervision for a specified period of time.
Functions of the certification committee
Similar to the pattern recommended for training and
retraining programs, the person or committee members
responsible for certification are usually senior software
development and maintenance staff. The responsibilities of
the certifying body include:
■ To perform the certification process on the basis of
requests made by individual applicants or units and grant
certification to those who qualify
■ To follow up certification activities (such as mentoring)
carried out by others
■ To update certification requirements in response to
developments in the organization as well as the profession
■ To revise the list of positions requiring certification.

Delivery of training and certification programs

Training and updating can cover topics such as
software engineering, software quality assurance and
management skills (within the framework of certification
or for general information), all of which are coordinated
with the organization’s or firm’s needs. How training and
updating are carried out varies accordingly. Courses can be
transmitted in formats that range from short lectures and
demonstrations, often lasting only half a day, to lengthy
courses held over several weeks or months. These may be
conducted in-house, by the organization’s training unit, or
externally, by vocational or academic institutions that
prepare programs attuned to the organization’s
requirements.
More about organizing and delivering training and
certification programs can be found in the human resources
management literature.