A manager’s guide to total quality software design
| Published date | 01 May 1998 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635579810213099 |
| Pages | 100-107 |
| Date | 01 May 1998 |
| Author | Beilan Gong,David C. Yen,David C. Chou |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
[ 100 ]
Industrial Management &
Data Systems
98/3 [1998] 100–107
© MCB University Press
[ISSN 0263-5577]
A manager’s guide to total quality software design
Beilan Gong
Department of DSC & MIS, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
David C. Yen
Department of DSC & MIS, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
David C. Chou
Department of CIS, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, USA
Applying total quality man-
agement (TQM) to the soft-
ware development process
can control software quality
and productivity. Selecting
suitable tools for the TQM
process can strengthen the
capability of software quality
assurance. This article pro-
vides a manager’s guide to
implementing a total quality
process during a systems
development life cycle. Also,
tools integration can make a
complicated TQM-based
software development envi-
ronment easier.
Introduction
Total quality management (TQM) has won
attention by academia and practitioners in
recent years. Global competition forced many
companies to take quality improvement as a
vital task. The IS department also invested a
large amount of resources and efforts to fulfill
TQM’s philosophy. Many organizations have
formed task groups to study TQM doctrines.
Software quality emerges as the key issue
after 1990. There is a growing trend of adopt-
ing the TQM philosophy to software develop-
ment. Organizations that demonstrate con-
cern with the use of software quality deploy-
ment include DEC, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard,
IBM, Texas Instruments, and so on (Haag et
al., 1996).
IS shops are under increased pressure to
deliver quality systems to customers. TQM
methodology is a new concept to the software
industry. Applying TQM to the software
development process can control software
quality and productivity. Another important
issue in TQM application is tool selection.
Selecting a suitable tool for the TQM process
can strengthen the capability of software
quality control.
This paper discusses the above issues and
provides a way of integrating TQM into soft-
ware development process at IS shops. It first
discusses the foundation of the TQM process.
After that, it identifies the pros and cons of
TQM applications. The challenges that face IS
managers are discussed next. Later, it
expresses the need to apply TQM to the soft-
ware development process, the framework of
applying TQM to the software development
life cycle (SDLC), and tools integration in the
TQM process.
Total quality management concept
TQM is a paradigm and a philosophy first
adopted in Japan. It is an organizational
management concept of “the voice of the
customer.” TQM definitions range from
“doing the right thing at the right time” to a
more specific language that attempts to
embody a number of quality dimensions.
Themes may include: customer supplier
relationships (both internal and external),
meeting customer needs now and in the
future, the combined application of human
resources and technology, creating an envi-
ronment of continuous improvement,
involvement and participation of manage-
ment and ongoing education and training.
Following are various perspectives and defin-
itions of TQM:
The Department of Defense (Schulmeyer
and McManus, 1992):
TQM is both a philosophy and a set of guid-
ing principles that represent the foundation
for a continuously improving organization.
TQM is the application of quantitative meth-
ods and human resources to improve the
material and services supplied to an organi-
zation, and the degree to which the needs of
the customers are met, now and in the
future. TQM integrates fundamental man-
agement techniques, existing improvement
efforts, and technical tools under a disci-
plined approach focused on continuous
improvement.
Computer Sciences Corporation (Schulmeyer
and McManus, 1992):
TQM is a management technique for contin-
uously improving the performance at every
level and in every area of responsibility to
ensure customer satisfaction. TQM com-
bines management and statistical
techniques with existing improvement
efforts under a rigorous, disciplined struc-
ture to strive for zero defects in all technical
and administrative processes. It demands
commitment and requires leadership and
training.
APQC (APQC, 1997):
TQM is exactly what its name implies. It is
Total in the sense that it encompasses every-
thing: every part of the organization,
processes as well as results, services as well
as products, suppliers as well as customers,
internal relationships as well as external
relationships. It is Quality in that it works to
improve each product and process to which
it is applied. It is Management because it is
guided, rational change that contributes to
the organization’s bottom line. It is planned,
led by top management, and aligned with
strategic objectives.
All of the above TQM definitions reveal that
TQM is an integrated philosophy. It revital-
izes business and allows an entire
To continue reading
Request your trial