Chapter 21. Software Quality Assurance

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Quality Is Free

• Testing and Quality Assurance in the Workplace

• Test Management and Organizational Structures

• Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

• ISO 9000

This book's focus so far has been on its title, Software Testing. You've learned how to plan your testing, where to look for bugs, and how to find and report them. If you're new to the field of software testing, you'll most likely first apply your skills in these areas.

It's important, though, to get a sense of the larger picture so that you can understand how much more needs to be accomplished and how far you can go in your career. The intent of Part VI, "The Future," and of this chapter is to give you an overview of the evolutionary steps beyond software testing, to show you what lies ahead, to outline the challenges, and to hopefully motivate you to make improving software quality your ultimate goal.

Highlights of this chapter include

• What it costs to create quality software

• How software testing varies from software quality assurance

• What different ways a software testing or quality group can fit into a project team

• How the software Capability Maturity Model is used

• The ISO 9000 standard