CO2403 and CO3808 – Quality Management Systems

Quality process definition, administration and

accreditation

What is a Quality Management System (QMS)

A Quality Management System consists of the

“..organisational structure, responsibilities, procedures ... and resources to ensure products, processes or services satisfy stated or implicit needs." (ISO8402)

The ISO9000 series is a general group of standards which can be applied to industry, commerce & service providers

ISO9001 is a standard which can be applied to an organisation which develops software, although it is not specific to this industry – this is also often referred to as BS5750

Why are they important? Benefits of implementing a quality management

system include: policies and objectives set by 'top management' understanding customer's requirements with a view to

achieving customer satisfaction  improved internal and external communications greater understanding of the organization's processes understanding how statutory and regulatory requirements

impact on the organization and your customers clear responsibilities and authorities agreed for all staff improved use of time and resources reduced wastage greater consistency and traceability of products and

services improved morale and motivation

Defining the Quality Process

A Q.M.S. satisfying ISO9001 must define: management responsibilities documentation of the Q.M.S. contract review design control documentation, change and configuration control purchasing and bought-in product control process control inspection and testing training quality audits and statistical checks

QMS – Management & People Issues

It is important that management demonstrate clear commitment through their policies, attitude and the allocation of resources to QMS activities

The initial reactions of development staff may be negative This can be tackled by demonstrating the benefits of the new system and to involve motivated staff in

the planning and introduction of the new system Clients will have to be convinced of the benefits of having agreed specifications and

acceptance tests Introduce open reporting on project progress (transparency) Discuss project problems with the client at an early stage

Using and choosing competent external consultants can be difficult, check whether they:

use QMS themselves have adequate resources understand software development are simply selling a packaged solution rather than something tailored to your needs

The benefits of involving consultants include the provision of an independent view which can help convince management of the need for a QMS and of the right approach to the implementation of a QMS and the wider experience they can bring to the problem.

The problems include the costs and their potential lack of experience of the reality of your particular business

Establishing a QMS Identify the scope: will the QMS be applied to projects, departments or everything? The structure of the QMS must fit with the policies, objectives & methods of the organisation

Consider: company's definition of lifecycle quality requirements of each stage of the lifecycle use of recognised methodologies Use of supporting standards: documentation, layout, review, purchasing, fault management,

configurations control, auditing ... Flexibility: define authorised ways of varying standards Implementation: which department first? which parts of system? (e.g. project management,

documentation & review) Detailed Planning

Identify Specific Goals and Objectives List & size tasks Estimate timescales & resources Develop Activity Plan - it is sensible to start with a pilot project (a prototype!) Evaluate technology to be used (e.g. configuration & change control software) Allocate Tasks Review cost & time estimates: compare with independent information (e.g. from Q.A. Department)

Planning will need to be thorough and should consider all the possible objections before presentation to management

Make sure that there is some enthusiastic management support to champion the cause Consider the objectives and concerns of the individual managers/directors

Running a QMS Set up standards

develop framework structure develop standards- draw on existing standards and procedures

review encourage comments during introduction to ensure best practice is revise

Implement standards inform staff - newsletters, seminars - try to develop a 'quality culture' train staff: at induction, as necessary so they can perform their work to standard, to

ensure awareness of policy and to update on developing company standards and procedures

Maintain standards set up a process for revising standards collect information, for example from project reviews, audits and user comments e.g.

on updating courses change standards if necessary

Obtain certification Choose an appropriate accrediting body Ensure that everyone is properly prepared for the accreditation process

Process Accreditation Performed by approved body (e.g. B.S.I)

The Accreditation Process Review the organisation's Q.M.S. description: does it conform to

standard? Visit: do the operations in practice conform to documentation? Follow-up checks

The Outcomes of Accreditation The decision will be either approval or non-approval. This may be

accompanied by observations

- points to note (areas for future improvement) minor discrepancies

- to be fixed over time major discrepancies

- must be fixed before approval is granted

Examples of Accreditation Schemes

An example of a software-specific quality standard

BSI Quality Assessment Schedules (QAS3302/79)

To meet this standard, an organisation must have: a management code of practice for detailed planning change control: product and documentation design and progress reviews design traceable to specification test plans, test specifications and records

QMS Project Management Methodologies - PRINCE

PRojects IN a Controlled Environment A project management methodology can

reduce the causes of failure by providing A consistent approach A checklist of necessary tasks, Techniques for performing those tasks Responsibilities of participants Emphasis on the business case for a project

PRINCE Features Focus on business goals Coverage of the full project-lifecycle Can be tailored to suit the project Defined involvement of stakeholders Structure & roles for the management

team Management commit resources as part

of any approval to proceed

PRINCE Features

Planning based on products rather than tasks

Manageable and controllable stages Regular reviews of progress Clear project documentation

Based on management by exception only report issues and the proposed responses

Support for the management of risk quality, and changes during the project

Prince Overview

Organisation Project board: owns and directs the project

Executive (chair), business interests Senior user (users) Senior supplier ( developers)

Project manager Day-to-day management of the project Reports regularly on progress and predicted problems

Project assurance team Ensures quality of project and product Provides an independent view of progress

Product-based Planning

Activity Network Planning

PRINCE Plans

Activity plans: based on product oriented planning Project plan: high-level plan of whole project Stage plans: detailed plan for the next stage only Individual work plans: lists for team members Resource plan: finances for project Quality plans: quality activities - reviews and tests Exception plans:

Only produced if the project may miss targets (within the tolerance allowed) to suggest how to tackle the problem

PRINCE Phases

Example PRINCE Documents Project start up

Project brief, project approach Project management team and job descriptions

Project initiation Simple terms of reference Risk analysis Project quality plan Business case controls and issue management plan

Stage by stage management Product checklist Review sign-off Work package Exception report

Project closure Customer acceptance Lessons learnt log

Summary Quality Management Systems

Define roles, responsibilities and procedures to be followed

Can be accredited by external organisations Signifies a quality culture May be required to work with some

organisations PRINCE is a Methodology for project

management focussed on consistency, improvement and quality

PRINCE is used widely in government organisations and increasingly so in the commercial sector

Links – Wider reading Tickit - This is a British Government Scheme to apply ISO9000

series to software development http://www.tickit.org/scheme.htm

PRINCE2 http://www.ogc.gov.uk/methods_prince_2.asp

British Standards Institute list of Standards relevant for Software Development http://www.bsi-global.com/ICT/SoftwareQuality/index.xalter