Chapter 30. Software Quality Assurance

The Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model (CMM) has listed software quality assurance (SQA) as a key process area since the institute's inception. Figure 30-1 represents the maturity levels; software quality assurance is the bottom key process in Level 2, Repeatable. As a hardware design manager for a major semiconductor manufacturing company asked one of the authors in the mid-1990s: “I've been directed to get to Level 2, and I need a SQAP! What's a SQAP? And where do I get one?” Getting a SQAP (software quality assurance plan) is what this chapter is all about. It is a very basic but often overlooked process that all practitioners need to follow for successful software development projects.

Figure 30-1. Capability Maturity Model Maturity Levels