A measurement-based approach for implanting SQA and SCM practices

Abstract

In recent years an increasing number of software organizations have launched initiatives to improve their software process. Unfortunately, most of them have been unable to move beyond diagnosis and action planning, turning those plans into real and practical actions. This paper focuses on two software process areas, software quality assurance (SQA) and software configuration management (SCM), and proposes a set of generic tools to assist in the implantation of specific practices for them. SQUID (Software QUality In the Development Process), a measurement-based methodology for specifying, monitoring and evaluating the software product quality during development, is adapted and used to manage the quality of implanting specific tools, such as guides, checklists and templates for SQA and SCM practices. We describe the results of a preliminary application conducted, showing how the proposed adaptation helps in formalizing and normalizing the implantation process, setting tangible goals and evaluating the results more precisely.