Chapter 1. The Quality Game

The Golden Rule: The one who owns the Gold, makes the Rules.^[1]

^[1] While I am sure we have all heard this many times, I came across it first in Retd. Major John Phippen's extensive 10-day Software Quality Assurance course in 1993, conducted under the auspices of the Australian Computer Society.

Putting This Chapter in Perspective

The final word on any quality initiative comes from the one who pays for the product or service whose quality is being judged. More often than not, this final word is a subjective interpretation of the product or service by its user. Instead of arguing against this subjective judgment, it is vital to develop a good understanding of the subjective nature of quality itself. This is akin to understanding the canvas before painting the picture; it is the main topic of discussion in this chapter. In this chapter on quality assurance we discuss the elusive nature of quality in the context of software.

Modeling, particularly with the UML, is shown as a means to improve communication, in the three distinct yet related modeling areas supported by specific quality activities: Problem Space, Solution Space, and Background Space. Process is discussed in the context of its three dimensions of technology (what), methodology (how), and sociology (who). This is followed by a discussion on the various checks (syntax, semantics, and aesthetics) needed to validate and verify UML-based models and the necessity, sufficiency, and malleability checks needed for a good quality process. The chapter also covers organization of the quality function and its application to various types of projects (development, integration, package implementation, outsourcing, data warehousing, and educational) and the various project sizes (small, medium, and large).

The Prime Reader: User, Business Analyst, System Designer, Architect, Project Manager, Quality Manager, and variations of these roles