Enhancing Software Quality Assurance Practices in Japan: A Case Study of Hitachi Group

1. SOFTWAREQUALITYASSURANCEPRACTICEINJAPAN －ACASESTUDYINHITACHIGROUP－ • SOFTWARE CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE • SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE ACTIVITIES • DEVELOPMENT PLAN AUDIT • SOFTWARE INSPECTION • DOCUMENT INSPECTION • QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE TESTING STAGE • TESTING STRATEGIES • QUALITY TARGET MANAGEMENT • QUALITY PROBE (QP) • PRODUCT INSPECTION • DISTRIBUTION OF SOFTWARE FAULTS • SYSTEM TEST • SYSTEM SIMULATION TEST Hitachi Systems & Services,Ltd.Quality Assurance Department Takamasa Nara

2. SOFTWARE CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

4. SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE ACTIVITIES

5. DEVELOPMENTPLANAUDIT ●PROJECT PLAN ―INSUFFICIENT STAFF AND ORGANIZATION ―UNDERESTIMATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT TIME AND MANPOWER ●QUALITY PLAN ―DETERMINATION OF NECESSARY QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND QUALITY TARGET VALUES ―METHODS AND PROCEDURES TO REALIZE QUALITY TARGET VALUES AT EACH PHASE

6. SOFTWARE INSPECTION

7. DOCUMENT INSPECTION 1.INTERNAL DOCUMENT INSPECTION 1.1 DOCUMENT 　　●FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATIONS 　　 ●DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS ETC. 1.2 AIMS ●ANTICIPATIVE QUALITY CONTROL OF PROGRAMS ●QUALITY CONTROL AT DESIGN PROCESSES (EVALUATION OF DOCUMENTS) ●PROGRESS CONTROL AT DESIGN PROCESSES 2. EXTERNAL DOCUMENT INSPECTION 2.1 DOCUMENT ●MANUALS ETC. 2.2 AIMS ●ASSURING SOFTWARE PRODUCT QUALITY 　 ●CONSISTENCY WITH THE INTERNAL DOCUMENTATION ●EVALUATING UNDERSTANDABILITY AND USABILITY

8. QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE TESTING STAGE ●TESTING STRATEGIES ●FORECASTING DEFECTS AND MANAGEMENT OF TARGET VALUES

9. TESTING STRATEGIES 1.SETTING TARGET NUMBER OF ERRORS FOR EACH TEST PROCESS 2.IMPORTANCE OF CODE REVIEW 3.SYSTEMATIC TESTS ●USE EXTERNAL SPECIFICATION AND INTERNAL SPECIFICATION TESTS ●TECHNIQUE FOR SETTING TEST ITEMS MUST BE BASED ON CLEAR AND APPROPRIATE TEST CRITERIA ●USE TEST COVERAGE MEASURES AND TECHNIQUES 4.REUSING TESTING TECHNIQUES AND REDUCING TEST LABOR REQUIREMENTS 5.SYSTEM TESTING

10. QUALITY TARGET MANAGEMENT 2.DRAWING MANAGEMENTCURVE 1.SET QUALITY TARGET 6.TARGET REVIEW 3.MONITOR 5.QUALITYIMPROVEMENT 4.QUALITYESTIMATION ●FORECASTING ERRORS BY GROWTH CURVE (FRCST)●QUALITY PROBE〔QP〕

11. QUALITY PROBE〔QP〕 PURPOSE: MEASURE AND ESTIMATE SOFTWARE QUALITY DURING TEST STAGE BY QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT METHOD: ●SAMPLING TEST 〔10%~20% OF TEST ITEMS〕 ●OPERATIONAL USE BY INSPECTORS ●ANALYSIS AND ESTIMATION OF THE RESULT －HIDDEN BUGS ESTIMATE 〔QUANTITATIVE〕 　　　－IDENTIFYING WEAK POINTS OF DESIGN 〔QUALITATIVE〕

12. PRODUCT INSPECTION PURPOSE: JUDGING WHETHER THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ARE ACCEPTABLE METHOD: ●JUDGEMENT IS MADE FROM THE CUSTOMER’S POINT OF VIEW ●PRODUCT INSPECTION USES A COMPUTER TO RUN THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS ●IF IT FAILS, THE DESIGN DEPARTMENT IMPROVES QUALITY AGAIN, AND INSPECTION IS REPEATED

13. Distribution of Software Faults 21.9 53.8 (QA Dpt.)

14. SYSTEM TEST AIMS: ●TEST AS A TOTAL SYSTEM －RUN TEST IN ACTUAL OR SIMULATED USER ENVIRONMENTS －ABNORMAL TEST WITH ERRORS, ABNORMAL OPERATIONS AND OVERLOAD DATA EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN THE ACTUAL ENVIRONMENT －PERFORMANCE EVALUATION TEST FACILITIES OF HITACHI’S SYSTEM TEST CENTER:(REFERED TO AS SST) ●HARDWARE EQUIPMENT INCLUDING 17 LARGE SCALE COMPUTERS ●NETWORK EQUIPMENT ●SIMULATORS(INCLUDING MULTIPLE TERMINAL SIMULATORS, AND HARDWARE ERROR SIMULATORS ●SUPPORT TOOLS

15. SYSTEM SIMULATION TEST