Duration: 2-days

Target Audience: Software Product and Process Quality Assurance (PPQA) Practitioners and Managers, Software Process Engineers, Software Development Managers, and Software Project Managers.

Description:
The Software Engineering Institute has coined the term Process and Product Quality Assurance (PPQA) to replace the term Software Quality Assurance (SQA) in the CMMI®. Besides having a more descriptive name, another reason for renaming this process area was to eliminate the term "Software" and have it apply to process and product development in general. This also helped minimize the confusion many people had between SQA and testing. This workshop provides a thorough coverage of the PPQA body of knowledge as it applies to software development.

Testing is the process used to verify that the software delivers the functionally it intended to deliver and identifies defects as a result. PPQA on the other hand is used to objectively evaluate whether or not the processes the team followed in developing the software and the associated work products created are compliant with the organization's applicable process descriptions, standards, and procedures. Through a series of reviews and meetings, a PPQA practitioner would identify noncompliance issues, report them to management, and ensure that these noncompliance issues are addressed. 

Organizations who are interested in establishing consistency in the way software is developed within the organization in order to better manage the process and improve productivity and quality must have a PPQA function defined and staffed. This course provides a comprehensive coverage of the PPQA function addressing all phases of the software development lifecycle and the PPQA practitioner's role at each of these phases. This is an intermediate level class that is recommended not only for PPQA practitioners but also for process engineers, development managers, and project managers.

This course covers the PPQA Body of Knowledge in only two days. It provides insight in practical PPQA methods and practices to help improve the effectiveness of Software Quality programs and the PPQA professionals who implement them. It can also be used to help prepare for the American Society of Quality's "Certified Software Quality Engineer" (CSQE) Exam. Hands-on exercises and practice examples are included and reinforce learning in every topic.

What you will learn:

In this course you will:

• Learn some basic quality concepts and how PPQA fits in them

• Get a solid understanding of the responsibilities of the PPQA professional and issues to expect and how to deal with them

• Learn about the different software development process areas, such as project management, requirements development, and testing, and how PPQA plays a role in each of these areas

• Learn about best practices in conducting quality audits in your organization

• Gain an understanding of major Quality Standards (MIL, ISO, and IEEE)

• Learn how PPQA fits into the ISO 9000 and CMMI models 

• Explore the different organizational ways in which PPQA can interact with Senior Management, an Engineering Process Group (EPG), Project Managers, and Client Representatives

COURSE OUTLINE:

Module 1: Introduction to PPQA

• What is "Quality"?

• The Evolution of Quality Control 

• Differences between Hardware & Software

• The Emergence of PPQA

• What is PPQA?

Module 2: General Quality Knowledge 

• Quality Principles

• The Cost of Quality

• Prevention Vs. Detection

• Benchmarking

• Standards and Specifications

• Software Models

Module 3: The Professional PPQA Practitioner

• PPQA Functions

• The PPQA Charter

• A PPQA Job Description 

• ASQ Professional Guidelines

• Continuing Education

• Peer Review of Professional and Technical Material

• Potential PPQA Conflicts, and Other Issues (licensing, copyrights, fraud,etc)

• Software Quality Certification (CSQE)

Module 4: Software Quality Management Requirements

• Quality Policies

• Establishing SW Quality Goals

• The Quality of the Software Processes

• Outsourcing of Software Development (and SAM & ISM Supplier Mgmt - CMMI)

• Preparing an effective PPQA Plan

• Guidelines for World-Class PPQA Programs (ISO 9000-3, DOD-STD-2168)

• SW Quality Procedures

• Using PPQA Tools and Corrective Action Systems

• Defect Prevention Techniques

Module 5: What PPQA Practitioners Should Know about Project Planning

• Initial Contract Review (PPQA task)

• Software Project Estimation

• The SW Development Plan (SDP)

• Goal Setting and Deployment

• PPQA's Role in Project and Management Reviews

• Software Risk Management

• Product Release

• SW Maintenance and Related Quality Issues

Module 6: PPQA's Role in Requirements Engineering

• Requirements Management (JAD, Prioritization, Change Management, Traceability)

• Requirements Types (Functional Requirements, Quality Requirements)

• Prototyping

Module 7: Software Metrics

• Measurement in PPQA

• Measurement Theory

• Measurement Categories

• Evaluating the Measurement Process

• Evaluating the Data Specification Process

• Evaluating the Data Collection Process

• Evaluating the Analysis & Reporting Process

Module 8: Verification & Validation (V & V)

• Software V & V

• Product Evaluations

• Process Evaluations

• Reviews and Inspections

• Defect Severity Codes

• Defect Analysis

• Software and System Testing

• Test Process Improvement

Module 9: Software Audits

• Auditing Basics

• Types of Audits

• Audit Responsibilities

• The PPQA Audit Process

• The Audit Process

• Interviewing Techniques

Module 10: Software Configuration Management (CM)

• Introduction to Software CM

• Rationale and Benefits for CM

• Basic CM Definitions

• The Configuration Control Board (CCB)

• CM Tools

• Software Configuration Items (SW Items)

• Baselines

• Versions and Revisions

• Configuration Identification and Naming Conventions

• Configuration Audits

• Additional PPQA Roles in CM 

Class Summary

Prerequisites:  Familiarity with Software Development