Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!quame!bryan
From: bryan@quame.UUCP (Bryan A. Woodruff)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Software QUALITY Engineering
Keywords: SOFTWARE QUALITY
Message-ID: <135@quame.UUCP>
Date: 22 Sep 89 03:17:34 GMT
Lines: 42

I am the Product Manager for a Software Development firm.  We publish
software for use in quality control. 

One important aspect of quality control is PROCESS control.
I feel that the software development process needs to be redefined.  It seems
that too much emphasis is on coding and not enough time is spent on the actual
design.  This is a fatal flaw with current engineering practices in the
automobile industry, the aerospace industry and the electronic industry to
name a few.  Americans are too quick to get to production and spend too
much time in rework areas.  The Japanese have found a better way. They have
controlled the process and are producing higher quality goods at a lower
cost.

Face it... the Japanese have to import practically EVERYTHING... their
key is PRODUCTIVITY... minimize the rework and produce higher quality, and
they are beating us in our own markets!

The scary thought is that the Japanese are beginning to use this philosophy
to work with software (philosophy -> Deming philosophy).
If all follows, they will have perfected the software development process,
and produce higher quality software (error free), faster and cheaper.

Americans are catching on in the manufacturing areas, DOD will require that
SPC (statistical process control) to be used on all defense contracts.
I would hope that we catch on and begin to perfect the design process,
get it under control, and produce higher quality software. (No vaporware,
and no errors.)

Please feel free to comment on this topic!!

Send replys to ...!uunet!quame!bryan

Bryan Woodruff,
Product Manager / Sr. Programmer,
Quality America, Inc.

(...!uunet!quame!bryan)

P.S.  I refuse to use the term BUG -- it makes it sound as if it is not
the fault of the software developer... it is an error... it is WRONG!!!

(Process control --- a DEFECT!)