This case study examined the self-directed and team-based learning activities of a software quality assurance organization in central Indiana. The skills required to assure a high level of software quality evolve rapidly and software quality professionals must embrace ongoing technology and process changes. The thirty focus group participants performed a variety of quality assurance tasks including configuration management, research, automated test development, test planning and execution, and team leadership. The case study was based on semi-structured interviews of four focus groups of software quality professionals, and explored the learning styles, preferences, and activities deployed to learn new technologies and solve complex software problems. Software products are becoming increasingly pervasive in our culture. The study of continuing education for the software quality profession is important due to our increased reliance on this profession to meet customer expectations for high-quality software products. The proliferation of software products in our culture has also increased the demand for software quality professionals. Those professionals who have access to continuing professional education to improve and maintain skills have the opportunity to meet customer expectations. There is no mandated certification or licensing for this profession therefore professionals are left to chart their own course of learning. This study sought to understand how these software quality professionals meet their continuing professional educational needs. As well, the study identified key resources required to support such continuing professional education both within the workplace and off the job. Future study of the role of critical self-reflection in establishing learning objectives could enhance our understanding of how software quality professionals identify and plan their learning activities. Further investigation of the value of computer programming and logic knowledge to the software quality professional would benefit our understanding of baseline skill requirements for the various roles performed in the profession. There are also opportunities to engage in future action research projects on co-location of teams, mentoring, and job rotation strategies, as employees were found to learn effectively from peers. / Department of Educational Studies

While software subcontracting is a common business transaction in the information technology field, metrics specifically aimed at effectiveness of software subcontracting arrangements are not commonly available. This thesis makes a review of the literature and derives such metrics from fields of software quality, COTS acquisition and IS success. A case study is performed on software subcontracting projects of a Turkish defense contractor, and the project metrics are compared according to their success. The results suggest that metrics regarding the requirements are good indicators for subcontracting success and that larger projects may enjoy more success compared to smaller ones.

The main objective of this thesis is to identify how the software repository features influence software quality during software evolution. To do that the mining software repository area was used. This field analyzes the rich data from software repositories to extract interesting and actionable information about software systems, projects and software engineering. The ability to measure code quality and analyze the impact of software repository features on software quality allows us to better understand project history, project quality state, development processes and conduct future project analysis. Existing work in the area of software quality describes software quality analysis without a connection to the software repository features. Thus they lose important information that can be used for preventing bugs, decision-making and optimizing development processes. To conduct the analysis specific tool was developed, which cover quality measurement and repository features extraction. During the research general procedure of the software quality analysis was defined, described and applied in practice. It was found that there is no most influential repository feature and the correlation between software quality and software repository features exist, but it is too small to make a real influence.

A complexidade dos dispositivos embarcados propõe novos desafios para o desenvolvimento de software embarcado, além das tradicionais restrições físicas. Então, a avaliação da qualidade do software embarcado e seu impacto nessas propriedades tradicionais torna-se mais importante. Conceitos como reúso abstração, coesão, acoplamento, entre outros atributos de software têm sido usados como métricas de qualidade no domínio da engenharia de software. No entanto, elas não têm sido usadas no domínio do software embarcado. No desenvolvimento de sistemas embarcados outro conjunto de ferramentas é usado para estimar as propriedades físicas, tais como: consumo de energia, ocupação de memória e desempenho. Essas ferramentas geralmente envolvem custosos processos de síntese e simulação. Nos complexos dispositivos embarcados atuais deve-se confiar em ferramentas que possam ajudar na exploração do espaço de projeto ainda nos níveis mais altos de abstração, identificando a solução que representa a melhor estratégia de projeto em termos da qualidade de software, enquanto, simultaneamente, atenda aos requisitos físicos. Neste trabalho é apresentada uma análise da correlação entre métricas de qualidade de software, que podem ser extraídas antes do sistema ser sintetizado, e as métricas físicas do software embarcado. Usando uma rede neural nós investigamos o uso dessas correlações para predizer o impacto que uma determinada modificação no software trará às métricas físicas do mesmo software. Esta estimativa pode ser usada para guiar decisões em direção a melhoria das propriedades físicas dos sistemas embarcados, além de manter um equilíbrio em relação às métricas de software. / The complexity of embedded devices poses new challenges to embedded software development in addition to the traditional physical requirements. Therefore, the evaluation of the quality of embedded software and its impact on these traditional properties becomes increasingly relevant. Concepts such as reuse, abstraction, cohesion, coupling, and other software attributes have been used as quality metrics in the software engineering domain. However, they have not been used in the embedded software domain. In embedded systems development, another set of tools is used to estimate physical properties such as power consumption, memory footprint, and performance. These tools usually require costly synthesis-and-simulation design cycles. In current complex embedded devices, one must rely on tools that can help design space exploration at the highest possible level, identifying a solution that represents the best design strategy in terms of software quality, while simultaneously meeting physical requirements. We present an analysis of the cross-correlation between software quality metrics, which can be extracted before the final system is synthesized, and physical metrics for embedded software. Using a neural network, we investigate the use of these cross-correlations to predict the impact that a given modification on the software solution will have on embedded software physical metrics. This estimation can be used to guide design decisions towards improving physical properties of embedded systems, while maintaining an adequate trade-off regarding software quality.

Computer systems gain more space day by day in the lives of individuals, causing the demand for computerized solutions more and more sophisticated and accurate, become increasing. Thus, there is a requirement of effective quality assurance for software produced, checked by monitoring of quality attributes. However, the main current monitoring techniques are turning mainly to service-based systems, setting aside a large number of software. In this context, this work aims to discuss about the monitoring of quality attributes referenced by ISO/IEC 9126 standard. Decision trees will be set relating to the architectural elements monitoring issues, and also a tool that uses the concepts of Aspect-Oriented Programming to automate the process of monitoring the reliability and efficiency requirements by generating aspects-monitors intended for logging and recording exceptions given target system. Still be observed the case study disposal structured by the Goal/Question/Metric (GQM) paradigm, conducted with the purpose of analyze the feasibility of the developed solution which is a simplified way for architects and software developers to define monitors to measure quality attributes in their systems. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Os sistemas computacionais ganham dia a dia mais espaço na vida dos indivíduos, fazendo com que a demanda por soluções computadorizadas, cada vez mais sofisticadas e precisas, seja crescente. Assim, há a exigência de efetivas garantias de qualidade aos softwares produzidos, conferidas pela monitoração dos atributos de qualidade. Contudo, as principais técnicas de monitoração atuais voltam-se, sobretudo, aos sistemas baseados em serviços, deixando de lado uma grande parcela de softwares. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho possui como objetivo discutir acerca da monitoração dos atributos de qualidade referenciados pela norma ISO/IEC 9126. Serão definidas árvores de decisão, que relacionarão os elementos arquiteturais às questões de monitoração, e ainda uma ferramenta que utilizará conceitos da Programação Orientada a Aspectos para automatizar o processo de monitoração dos requisitos confiabilidade e eficiência, através da geração de aspectos-monitores destinados ao logging e registro de exceções de determinado sistema-alvo. Ainda será observada a disposição de estudo de caso estruturado pelo paradigma Goal/Question/Metric (GQM), realizado com a finalidade de analisar a viabilidade da solução desenvolvida que representa uma maneira simplificada para que arquitetos e desenvolvedores de softwares definam monitores para aferir atributos de qualidade em seus sistemas.

[pt] Métodos Ágeis são estratégias recentes na Engenharia de Software (começaram a se popularizar em 2001), que surgiram com a promessa de serem flexíveis e adaptáveis - características muito importantes para lidar com constantes mudanças de requisitos em projetos. O Scrum, método ágil estudado neste trabalho, necessita de uma infraestrutura adequada para gerar benefícios ao time que o utiliza. Neste estudo, implementou-se o Scrum, com o auxílio de uma infraestrutura adequada de ferramentas e processos, em uma organização que não utilizava qualquer tipo de gerenciamento de projetos. A partir do estabelecimento de algumas metas com o apoio do modelo GQM, buscou-se a melhoria nas métricas relacionadas e os resultados estão detalhados neste presente trabalho. / [en] Agile methodology is a recent Software Engineering strategy (it became popular in 2001) that was created to be flexible and adaptable enough - characteristic very import to deal with constant requirements changes during a project lifecycle. Scrum, the agile methodology used during this study, requires an adequate infrastructure in order to offer its benefits. This study implemented Scrum and an adequate infrastructure of processes and tools to support it, inside a organization that didn’t use any kind of project management before. With the establishment of some goals using the GQM model, some improvements were expected and the results are detailed in this study.

The search for the quality of software in the current days became one practical, at least, necessary for the importance of the attributions that we give to them. Each time we depend more and more from software, for the most diverse ends, and thus we become dependents of its exactness. Had to this dependence that the search for the Excellency in software terms became as an act of extreme importance during the development of software. Geographic Information System, or SIG, are software that manipulate data that possess the capacity to have a geographically reference, and due the complexity of these data and the procedures used to manipulate, visualize and process them, the development of SIG becomes a very difficult practical. Studies made on Software Quality, in the area of Software Engineering, had resulted in some methods and techniques that they aim to facilitate the reach of quality during the software development, and, as many times, SIG are developed by professionals from the land areas, these can not have knowledge of such studies on software quality. This work looks for to supply some knowledge on software quality for professionals that are not from computer science area, also considering a methodology that will assist to organize the development process of a SIG, facilitating the reach of the software quality. / A procura pela qualidade em sistemas computadorizados nos dias atuais se tornou uma prática no mínimo necessária pela importância das atribuições que damos aos mesmos. Cada vez dependemos mais de computadores, para os mais devidos fins, e assim nos tornamos dependentes de sua exatidão. Devido a esta dependência que a procura pela excelência em termos de software se dá como um ato de extrema importância durante o desenvolvimento de sistemas. Sistemas de Informações Geográficas, ou SIG são programas que manipulam com dados que possuem a capacidade de serem referenciados geograficamente, e devido a complexibilidade destes dados e dos procedimentos utilizados para manipula-los, visualiza-los e processa-los, o desenvolvimento de SIG s se torna uma prática muito dificulta. Estudos feitos sobre Qualidade de Software, dentro da área da Engenharia de Software, resultaram em alguns métodos e técnicas que visam facilitam o alcance da qualidade durante o desenvolvimento de sistemas, e como muitas vezes SIG s são desenvolvidos por profissionais voltados as áreas rurais, estes podem não ter conhecimento de tais estudos sobre Qualidade de Softwares. Este trabalho procura suprir alguns conhecimentos sobre qualidade de software para profissionais não oriundos da informática, também propondo uma metodologia que auxiliará a organizar todo o desenvolvimento de um SIG, facilitando o alcance da qualidade de software.

A complexidade dos dispositivos embarcados propõe novos desafios para o desenvolvimento de software embarcado, além das tradicionais restrições físicas. Então, a avaliação da qualidade do software embarcado e seu impacto nessas propriedades tradicionais torna-se mais importante. Conceitos como reúso abstração, coesão, acoplamento, entre outros atributos de software têm sido usados como métricas de qualidade no domínio da engenharia de software. No entanto, elas não têm sido usadas no domínio do software embarcado. No desenvolvimento de sistemas embarcados outro conjunto de ferramentas é usado para estimar as propriedades físicas, tais como: consumo de energia, ocupação de memória e desempenho. Essas ferramentas geralmente envolvem custosos processos de síntese e simulação. Nos complexos dispositivos embarcados atuais deve-se confiar em ferramentas que possam ajudar na exploração do espaço de projeto ainda nos níveis mais altos de abstração, identificando a solução que representa a melhor estratégia de projeto em termos da qualidade de software, enquanto, simultaneamente, atenda aos requisitos físicos. Neste trabalho é apresentada uma análise da correlação entre métricas de qualidade de software, que podem ser extraídas antes do sistema ser sintetizado, e as métricas físicas do software embarcado. Usando uma rede neural nós investigamos o uso dessas correlações para predizer o impacto que uma determinada modificação no software trará às métricas físicas do mesmo software. Esta estimativa pode ser usada para guiar decisões em direção a melhoria das propriedades físicas dos sistemas embarcados, além de manter um equilíbrio em relação às métricas de software. / The complexity of embedded devices poses new challenges to embedded software development in addition to the traditional physical requirements. Therefore, the evaluation of the quality of embedded software and its impact on these traditional properties becomes increasingly relevant. Concepts such as reuse, abstraction, cohesion, coupling, and other software attributes have been used as quality metrics in the software engineering domain. However, they have not been used in the embedded software domain. In embedded systems development, another set of tools is used to estimate physical properties such as power consumption, memory footprint, and performance. These tools usually require costly synthesis-and-simulation design cycles. In current complex embedded devices, one must rely on tools that can help design space exploration at the highest possible level, identifying a solution that represents the best design strategy in terms of software quality, while simultaneously meeting physical requirements. We present an analysis of the cross-correlation between software quality metrics, which can be extracted before the final system is synthesized, and physical metrics for embedded software. Using a neural network, we investigate the use of these cross-correlations to predict the impact that a given modification on the software solution will have on embedded software physical metrics. This estimation can be used to guide design decisions towards improving physical properties of embedded systems, while maintaining an adequate trade-off regarding software quality.

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Ensuring that predetermined quality standards are met is an issue which software development companies, and the software development industry at large, is having issues in attaining. The software testing process is an important process within the larger software development process, and is done to ensure that software functionality meets user requirements and software defects are detected and fixed prior to users receiving the developed software. Software testing processes have progressed to the point where there are formal processes, dedicated software testing resources and defect management software in use at software development organisations. The research determined implications that the case study software development organisation could face when deviating from software testing processes, with a focus on function performed by the software tester role. The analytical dimensions of duality of structure framework, based on Structuration Theory, was used as a lens to understand and interpret the socio-technical processes associated with software development processes at the case study organisation. Results include the identification of software testing processes, resources and tools, together with the formal software development processes and methodologies being used. Critical e-commerce website functionality and software development resource costs were identified. Tangible and intangible costs which arise due to software defects were also identified. Recommendations include the prioritisation of critical functionality for test execution for the organisation’s e-commerce website platform. The necessary risk management should also be undertaken in scenarios with time constraints on software testing, which balances risk with quality, features, budget and schedule. Numerous process improvements were recommended for the organisation, to assist in preventing deviations from prescribed testing processes. A guideline was developed as a research contribution to illustrate the relationships of the specific research areas and the impact on software project delivery.

As realizações e atividades desenvolvidas pelo homem em qualquer segmento produtivo são geradas pela percepção de suas necessidades, pelo acompanhamento da evolução tecnológica e pela adequação aos cenários e aos comportamentos da sociedade, seguindo uma abordagem global. Questões relacionadas aos programas de melhoria da qualidade na indústria do software, hoje caracterizadas como competências qualificadoras para a competitividade, tornar-se-ão um conjunto de exigências básicas para a sobrevivência de longo prazo no mercado internacional. Esta realidade faz parte das empresas do mundo todo, principalmente da empresa brasileira, dada a meta de desenvolvimento e melhoria da qualidade de vida estabelecida para a sociedade. Neste contexto, o mercado em que atuam as empresas de pequeno porte é extremamente competitivo. Em se tratando de melhoria de desenvolvimento de software, o CMM (Capability Maturity Model), desenvolvido pelo Instituto de Engenharia de Software, da Universidade de Carnegie Mellon, por solicitação do Departamento de Defesa Norte Americano, tem como objetivos: avaliar o nível de maturidade das empresas desenvolvedoras de software e propor melhorias para seus processos. Este modelo apresenta cinco níveis crescentes de maturidade: inicial, repetível, definido, gerenciado e em otimização. O objetivo desta dissertação é apresentar uma contribuição às empresas desenvolvedoras de software, em especial às de pequeno porte, que desejam aumentar a qualidade de sues processos de desenvolvimento, utilizando um modelo o qual fora desenvolvido originalmente para grandes empresas e projetos. A investigação exploratória sobre a qualidade nos processos de desenvolvimento de software será enriquecida através de uma aplicação, a qual será realizada em uma empresa desenvolvedora de soluções de software localizada no município de São Carlos, interior de São Paulo. / As technology developments becomes more integrated with everyday business activities, the search for quality has become more important than ever in today\'s organizations. For Brazilian companies that develop software, the quality of the final product is directly related to the quality of its development process. Related to the software quality, the CMM (Capabllity Maturity Model) developed by the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, is a mo dei that assist companies in the evaluation of its current software development process and enables improvements for this process. This model presents five growing levels of maturity: initial, repeatable, defined, managed and in optimizing. The main goal of this work is to extend through an investigation the state of art of software quality engineering, and to apply the principies and practices of the Second Level of the CMM in a small Brazilian company.