Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!noao!ncar!gatech!utkcs2!mars!abg From: abg@mars.ornl.gov (Alex Bangs) Newsgroups: comp.software-eng Subject: Re: Software Quality Summary: Quality + Testing Keywords: Cleanroom Message-ID: <1991Mar15.150135.13707@cs.utk.edu> Date: 15 Mar 91 15:01:35 GMT References: Sender: usenet@cs.utk.edu (USENET News Poster) Reply-To: abg@mars.epm.ornl.gov (Alex Bangs) Distribution: comp.software-eng Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab Lines: 31 In article sbang@iesd.auc.dk (Stig Bang) writes: > >Instead, we think that: > > a) Software Quality is primarily achieved through good > management of the development process. > > b) Successful Quality Management requires motivation > and engagement of the individual and a professional > attitude towards software development. > > c) The hardest task of introducing Quality Management > in a company is the change of peoples' habits, > not the application of new tools and methodologies. I agree with most of this. I am currently taking a course in cleanroom software engineering, where the whole process emphasizes quality from design through implementation (including proofs of the implementation), and finally using statistical testing to provide statistics about how confident you are in the software. In other words, if you want to have quality, then you should be able to back it up with something. The item I would add to point (b) above is to emphasize that writing software is a form of engineering, and it should be treated with all the rigors of engineering. The "software-as-an-art-form" approach might have application for some people, but in any realm where money or safety is on the line, that attitude has got to go. Alex L. Bangs ---> bangsal@ornl.gov Of course, my opinions are Oak Ridge National Laboratory/CESAR my own darned business... Autonomous Robotic Systems Group