Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!otter.hpl.hp.com!hpopd!daves From: daves@hpopd.pwd.hp.com (Dave Straker) Newsgroups: comp.software-eng Subject: Re: Software Quality 2.0 Message-ID: <36650002@hpopd.pwd.hp.com> Date: 27 Mar 91 17:01:30 GMT References: Organization: Hewlett-Packard CCG-PWD, UK. Lines: 102 >> In the United States more so than in other nations, there is an >> emphasis on quarterly earnings. How does this affect product cycles, >> research cycles, and software quality? How does time-to-market >> stack up against comittment-to-market? > >Yes, how does these things affect quality? Since we are students, we >have no direct experience with this. Are they major problems? Deming has a lot to say about this (Point #11: Eliminate targets). Targets causes inappropriate behaviour. People focus on the target, not the improvement. Quality becomes meeting the target, not satisfying the customer. >We have, however, experienced that on the project level, people are >always judged by schedule and budget conformance, since it can easily >be evaluated by the management. The quality of the software must be >proven-in-use, which takes time. Quality is always rated >2nd (or 3rd) in the minds of the software developer, because it is >appreciated in that order. A classic project management model is a triangle of quality, cost and time. You can sit somewhere inside the triangle - i.e. you can't have 100% of all three. Short-term targets (as previous item) cause focus on cost and time (which is a function of cost). >> Motivation and engagement are natural byproducts of an environment >> which produces quality products. It is not the converse. > >Is it? Any comments on this? If it is so, there's little hope for any >progress of quality! I has to start somewhere, quality does not come >from nowhere. We claim that it is a necessity that all parts of an >organization (= all individuals) must adopt "the spirit" to get the >thing working. You cannot produce better quality unless you have faith >in what you are doing. Consider Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Producing quality goods feeds the top layers (esteem and self-actualisation). >> It's harder to get management to change than it is to get >> everyone else to change. > >Agreed, our research has confirmed this statement. And this is a >*huge* problem, since it is hard (if not impossible) to introduce a >total quality control system without managers being involved. Deming's 'germ theory' suggests that it is analogous to Pasteur telling doctors that they've been doing it wrong, and by not sterilising, they are killing their patients. Managers are often too busy chopping down trees to sharpen the axe. >> You can always blame problems on management if others are unable to >> do their work well--management should have forseen that and helped >> them. But this begs the question. Most managers don't know what to >> do about the problems their engineers will face. But neither do the Deming again: 85% of the problems are with the process, and are hence a management responsibility. > >So we will do! We certainly hope to be in business soon, as we all 5 >graduate this summer. Good luck -- although I suspect you won't need it. >The way we identify quality is: > > "Quality is present when expectations are matched or exceeded > by what is experienced." Excellent description. It notes that quality is what is perceived by the customer. > Experienced > ^ (45 degrees) > | :-) / > | / > | / :-( > | / :-) : Quality > | / :-( : Not Quality > |/ > --------> Expected > Have you seen the Kano model? It's one I especially like. >What is Your "definition" of quality? Personally, I go with the 'expection'. It should also include words like 'continuous': quality is a moving target. HP uses a FURPS+ model for its products: F = Functionality U = Usability R = Reliability S = Supportability P = Performance + = everything else :-) including Portability, Localisability Dave Straker Pinewood Information Systems Division (PWD not PISD) [8-{) HPDESK: David Straker/HP1600/01 Unix: daves@hpopd.pwd.hp.com