Assuring software quality assurance

The term quality assurance (or QA) has a variety of interpretations. The most common one is that it ensures that developers, testers, or independent auditors have performed some form of scrutiny on a system to validate that it will work as required. Software quality assurance is similar but applies to the code or noncode artifacts.     

The use of mathematics in software quality assurance

The use of mathematics for documenting, inspecting, and testing software is explained and illustrated. Three measures of software quality are described and discussed. Then three distinct complementary approaches to software quality assurance are presented. A case study, the testing and inspection of a safety-critical system, is discussed in detail.     

Experiences in introducing software quality assurance

The project discussed in the paper was estimated to a size of about 100 person-months and scheduled to be delivered within 18 months. It was part of a bigger project to build a highly automated delivery centre; the software supplier was a mediumsized data processing consultant firm. Fixed delivery date and fixed budget made the need for rigid project management and quality control obvious.The paper describes the experiences made during the introduction of SQA measures into the project, and presents the conclusions drawn for future projects. It discusses motivation, implementation, and result of SQA in this project in general, and — wherever possible — of each of the measures in particular.     

Efficiency of CAMEtools in software quality assurance

Our paper describes the requirements and possibilities of integration of metrics tools in the field of software quality assurance. Tools for the support of the measurement process are herein classified as Computer Assisted Software Measurement and Evaulation Tools (CAMETools). Software measurement regarded as a special type of metrics application provides a great amount of basic information for the evaluation of the software development process or the software product itself. Our paper examines the effectiveness and destination of software measurement in tool-based software development and is based on an analysis of more than 20 CAME tools in the Software Measurement Laboratory at the University of Magdeburg. CAMEtools are useable for the process, product, and resources evaluation in all phases of the software life cycle (including the problem definition) for different development paradigms. The efficiency of CAME tools is described on the basis of a general measurement framework. This framework includes all steps in the software measurement and evaulation process: metrics definition, selection of the evaluation criteria, tool-based modelling and measurement, value presentation and statistical analysis. The framework includes the main aspects of the process evaluation techniques (Capability Maturity Model, ISO 9000-3 etc.) and product evaluation (ISO 9126, etc.). It is not a disjointed set of aspects: our measurement framework represents an incremental technique for the application of quantification of quality aspects in a required quality assurance     

Formal engineering methods for software quality assurance

Conventional software engineering on the basis of informal or semi-formal methods is facing tremendous challenges in ensuring software quality.Formal methods have attempted to address these challenges by introducing mathematical notation and calculus to support formal specification,refinement,and verification in software development.     

浅谈对日软件外包保证项目质量的几点体会

软件外包是近几年国内发展迅速的产业。一般是委托方担当系统的概要设计,中方担当详细设计、编程、单体测试以及集成测试。由于地域、语言、文化等差异,如何保证项目的质量,时常成为困扰企业的难题。在实际的面向中小企业统合管理系统项目的开发基础上,通过分析影响实际项目质量的主要因素,总结并提出了在不写详细设计文档的情况下,加强概要设计的复审,加强沟通环节以保证软件项目质量的一些观点。这种方式下开发的系统其品质得到了较好的控制并取得了客户的认可。     

Issues in software inspection

In manufacturing, agriculture and transportation, inspections are a routine part of business, making our lives safer and more comfortable. Yet in software, we generally leave inspections to companies that are quite advanced in their process maturity. Why do most companies skip inspections when their is so much to gain? In 1991, the author began the National Software Quality Experiment, an ongoing database of software defects and inspections practice. In his study, participants from dozens of organizations described defects and these were entered into the experiment's database. In this article, the author makes a case for implementing inspections at all levels of software development practice, based on what he has learned thus far     

Integrating security activities into the software development life cycle and the software quality assurance process

Security concerns should be an integral part of the entire planning, development, and operation of a computer application. Inadequacies in the design and operation of computer applications are very frequent source of security vulnerabilities associated with computers. In most cases, the effort to improve security should concentrate on the application software. The system development life cycle (SDLC) technique provides the structure to assure that security safeguards are planned, designed, developed and tested in a manner that is consistent with the sensitivity of the data and/or the application. The software quality assurance process provides the reviews and audits to assure that the activities accomplished during the SDLC produce operationally effective safeguards.This paper addresses two issues of concern to those responsible for ensuring that the safeguards incorporated into application software are adequate and appropriate. The first issue addresses the integration of specific security activities into the SDLC. The discussion of this issue addresses the following security activities in the SDLC; determination of the sensitivity of the application and data; determination of security objectives; assessment of the security risks; conduct of the security feasibility study; definition of security requirements; development of the security test plan; design of the security specifications; development of the security test procedures; writing of the security-relevant code; writing of the security-relevant documentation; conduct of the security test and evaluation; writing on the security test analysis report; and, preparation of the security certification report.The second security issue addresses the security reviews and audits that should be integrated into the software quality assurance process to ensure that the security activities in the SDLC are accomplished. The security reviews and audits discussed include: the security requirements review; the security design review; the security specifications review; the security test readiness review; and the security test and evaluation review. Also addressed is how quality software is defined and achieved and why and how the concept of quality should be applied to application software security safeguards.     

安全关键软件的安全性保障工作研究

安全关键软件如果发生故障,可能会对国家财产和人民安全造成巨大的损失,所以需要重点考虑它们的安全性.但是由于当前还无法精确地定量评估软件安全性,而只能在软件生命周期中从安全性角度对开发行为进行规范和保障.概述了安全性相关的概念,并给出了一个完整的安全关键软件安全性保障工作流程.     

Statistical games and software tools for quality assurance based on statistical process control

This paper proposes two kinds of statistical games constructed to show how to achieve quality assurance system based on SPC(statistical process control) by using simple models and software tools. Proposed games are Coin Shooting Game and Paper Glider Releasing Game. These games can be played on a table using simple materials, and are easy to play. These are described by showing actual data.

Participants of these games get necessary outputs timely by using prepared software tools so that they can execute an effective and efficient decision. These save time and also raise the level of understanding how to achieve quality assurance system based on SPC.     

An essay on software testing for quality assurance – Editor’s introduction

This volume resulted from a call for papers to “... explore the state of the art of software quality assurance, with particular emphasis on testing to measure quality.” It is my belief that software testing as a discipline is ripe for theoretical breakthroughs. Researchers are considering the right questions, and there are promising new approaches and exciting new results. It seems that new understanding of the testing process can lead to practical tools and techniques that revolutionize software development. I don’t believe that testing will become easier or cheaper; rather, it will be more rational in the sense that expending effort will more dependably lead to better software. In this introductory essay I provide a personal view of testing, testing research, and their roles in software quality assurance.     

The role of inspection in automated manufacturing

This paper discusses the role of inspection in automated manufacturing. Also presented is an introduction to computerized coordinate measuring machines and their performance, since these constitute the most advanced inspection equipment available to industry today.     

Automating the software inspection process

Inspection is widely believed to be the most cost-effective method for detecting defects in documents produced during the software development lifecycle. However, it is by its very nature a labour intensive process. This has led to work on computer support for the process which should increase the efficiency and effectiveness beyond what is currently possible with a solely manual process. In this paper, we first of all describe current approaches to automation of the inspection process. There are four main areas of inspection which have been the target for computer support: document handling, individual preparation, meeting support and metrics collection. We then describe five tools which have been developed to support the inspection process and compare the capabilities of these tools. This is followed by a fuller discussion of the features which could be provided by computer support for inspection and the gains that may be achieved by using such support.     

Distributed, collaborative software inspection

The Collaborative Software Inspection (CSI) tool, which provides a distributed, structured environment for performing inspections on all software-development products, including specifications, designs, code, and test cases, is described. The inspection environment lets geographically distributed inspection participants meet with people in other cities through workstations at their desks. The current version of all material is accessible online. Inspection products are created online, so secondary data entry to permanent records is not necessary. The inspection information is also available for review and metrics collection. To assess the effectiveness of inspection in the distributive collaborative environment and compare it with face-to-face meetings, a case-study approach with replication logic is presented     

基于WPF的电能质量检测系统上位机软件设计

电能质量直接影响着电力系统能否安全运行,为了能及时可靠地检测电能质量,采用全新的Windows Presentation Foundation(WPF)技术,设计了一款电能质量检测系统上位机软件。从工业控制上位机软件的特点出发,实现了上位机与下位机的串口通信,绘制了实时数据波形图及谐波波形图,完成了检测数据的清晰显示。该系统人机界面美观,操作方便,数据存储量大,功能完善。