Book details of 'Achieving Software Quality through Teamwork'

Title	Achieving Software Quality through Teamwork
Author(s)	Isabel Evans
ISBN	158053662X
Language	English
Publisher	Artech House Publishers

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Achieving Software Quality through Teamwork':

Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
The preface notes that software is produced by people, and usually teams of people. The author proposes that understanding people, and teams, should help make better software. Chapter one attempts to point out that quality depends upon perception, but doesn't do a really clear job of it. Four definitions of quality are presented: product (specifications), manufacturing (development process), user (fitness for use: the most subjective), and value (related to return on investment). The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model is introduced as the basis for the book (which appears to concentrate on the user and value definitions). Different groups of people, and the different ways of viewing quality, are outlined in chapter two, but the interactions and implications are not apparent. One set of divisions; between customers, managers, builders, measurers, and supporters; is used to structure the next five chapters. Chapter three looks at various types, factors, and needs of customers, but gives little that would be of help in the development process. Managers fare slightly better in chapter four: one specific communications tool or exercise is listed. Builders are defined, in chapter five, by a litany of complaints that programmers have about others. Oddly, responsibility for communications is laid at the feet of the coders, but no means of improvement is provided for them. The role of measurers, in chapter six, is again described primarily in terms of problems, with few solutions discussed. Chapter seven uses lots of words in dealing with supporters, but says little of substance. Chapter eight describes the life cycle of systems, collapsing requirements, design, and implementation into a small development block, and emphasizing delivery and post-delivery. Start-up has some brief ideas on concepts and initiation, and then gets into contracts. The software development life cycle (which, since it is only referred to as SDLC, is hard to keep separate from the "system" cycle) provides a terse outline of some project management methods. A few aspects of delivery and acceptance are reviewed in chapter eleven. The post- delivery material, in chapter twelve, is confused and confusing, but eventually talks about maintenance. Overall, the book has numerous points worth considering in the development process. Some may help when dealing with requirements and design, which may assist with the user and value definitions of quality. Very little of the content is applicable to the product or manufacturing aspects noted at the beginning. In addition, the particulars are buried in a great deal of superfluous verbiage, and little is of direct and practical use. For example, communications is frequently noted as a problem, and appendix A lists a variety of communications techniques, but there is very little discussion as to how to use these methods. It is very difficult to identify an audience that would benefit from this work. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2004
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Book description:

Successful software depends not only on technical excellence but on how members of the software team work together. Written in easy to understand language by a leading expert in the field, this ground-breaking volume provides an overview of the team culture required to develop quality software. Reflecting the different views on the nature of software quality, the book helps groups in a software team to communicate more effectively and to overcome the conflict created by their different perceptions of quality. You learn the roles and activities of team members (including customers) throughout the life of a software product, from before the software development starts and during the software development lifecycle, to after the software has been deployed and is in use.