Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Software Quality Assurance: Study Objectives Design it, Deploy it, Fix it is no longer an acceptable adage for the software developer, because users are no longer willing to wait around for the fix. QA is a necessity; and it is of the utmost importance that Software Quality Assurance be independent of project management for it to be completely effective. Individuals closely associated with the project are less likely to spot the problems that an external party would find easy to identify. Independent testing efforts ensure that a product is tested by individuals who will be just as objective and unforgiving as the customers of that product in the case of potential defect. In a world of rapid changes and global competition, software development companies are pressed to achieve higher efficiency with lower costs. The software development companies in Bangladesh are not being able to find a place in the global market because of the lack or quality of the products. For many years software production in Bangladesh was done more with an artisan approach rather than the industrial or engineering approach to developing. It is just in recent years that software engineering methods are being considered and are introduced by the developers where the key goals are to achieve quality software. Thus SQA must be practiced by the developers in Bangladesh to hold place in the global market. The objectives of this study can be categorized as the followings. 1. To acquire understanding of Software Quality Assurance from global stand points. 2. To study and acquire in depth scenario of practicing Software Quality Assurance in Bangladesh. 3. To analyze all the local existing Software Quality Assurance practices and to devise Software Quality Assurance methodology for the adoption. 1.2 Layout of the thesis The basics of software quality assurance (SQA), goals, roles and responsibilities, functions of SQA have been discussed in chapter 2. The existing standards of SQA such as CMMI, IEEE are also discussed in chapter 2. In chapter 3 the global perspective of SQA, the existing state of SQA in Bangladesh has been outlined. Some potential

constraints and development strategies are also discussed in chapter 3. The conclusion and further scope of this thesis are discussed in chapter 4.