Software Quality Management
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000001425 |
| Date | 01 March 1990 |
| Published date | 01 March 1990 |
| Pages | 9-11 |
| Author | Roger Boom |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
SOFTWARE QUALITY MANAGEMENT 9
C
ommitment to a quality system involves
all areas of a company ana brings with it
job satisfaction, discipline and profit.
Software
Quality
Management
Roger Boom
What is Quality?
We all know what "Quality" is
—
or do we? Ask most
people what they understand
by
it and they
will
talk about
Rolls-Royce, Fortnum and Mason, Rolex and other such
up-market names.
When we refer to quality in industry, we mean a
recognised standard to which the products are made. The
standard is set by the producer and embodies features
which are considered correct for the market. For instance,
Rolls-Royce cars are built to a standard which is equal or
better than their competitors in the luxury car market;
each car must meet the standard set
by
the designers and
commercial management. However, an Austin Mini has
been designed and
is
built for
a
different market. The Mini
must also meet the requirements set by the designers
and commercial management, but the requirements are
different to those for the Rolls-Royce.
Both
cars,
hopefully, meet the requirements set for them.
They are fit for the purpose for which they were designed.
How then do we remove the word "hopefully" from the
above sentence? Briefly, by good quality management.
Quality Management
For a period of time, this requirement for quality
management was neglected in British industry, but over
the past few years it has been recognised that consistent
quality is what will ensure repeat orders and help build
a good reputation. To help companies maintain their
standard of
quality,
the British Standards Institute (BSI)
has produced a standard (BS 5750) which relates to the
International Standards Organisation (ISO) Standard 9000.
So that the standards will have some meaning, the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTD has produced
a certification scheme for companies. This signifies that
the company operates and maintains a Quality
Management scheme which meets the requirements of
BS
5750 and ISO
9000,
and means that purchasers of the
company's products can be sure that what they buy will
be of consistent quality.
The England Group
How does this relate to Quality Management of Software,
and what prompted the England Group to take on
a
formal
quality system? Over the years we had a feeling that,
although we were successful, we could perform better.
Rather
like
an athlete who knows that being stronger and
fitter
will
help with performance. Like an athlete, we also
had the spur of competition. The spur came from the
Ministry of Defence (MoD) Procurement
Executive,
which
encouraged us to acquire a formal quality system, in this
case
NATO
Quality Assurance Standards
AQAP 1
and
13.
As
they explained, suppliers to the
MoD
were
now
either
assessed and certified, or
not.
Those who were not would
find it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to win
Ministry contracts. That was a spur indeed, especially
as a good proportion of our business was with the MoD.
To introduce a quality management system therefore
became an insurance for the future. It was not so much
a question of could we afford it, but rather could we
possibly not afford it. The way that the England Group
attained the standard for certification is explained below.
This is not the only way, but the one which suited us.
Initially, it was necessary to learn about Quality
Management. The way we chose was through the
Enterprise Allowance Scheme. There are many
management consultants who specialise in Quality
Management, and who are recognised by the DTI. Their
fees
can be
subsidised
by
the Enterprise
Allowance
Scheme
which applies to small companies of up to 500 employees.
We were eligible for this help, and it allowed us to learn
about the general approach required by BS 5750.
The Quality Route
Before starting on any journey, it
is
best to plan the route.
In our case we wanted to start from where we were and
end up with a new approved quality system.
Where were we starting from? At the time we were a
13-year-old company, 40 strong, well established, which
designed and installed computer systems in
a
wide range
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