Implementing a Quality Management System

Global competition and the gradual removal of barriers to free trade are creating increasing opportunities for co-operation and worldwide trade in the information technology industry. This new order requires the adoption of adequate standards and quality management systems (QMS). In this CD-ROM the contributors provide advice and document experience in implementing such systems. Chapter 1 discusses how to interpret QMS standards to provide a simple path to implementing a QMS in a software development environment. This is followed by a description of the need to analyse fundamental business strategies and current technology trends in order to position process improvement as a key business strategy. In Chapter 3, an industrial production approach to software is examined and it is suggested that lessons for the software industry can be learned from industrial manufacturing. The author of Chapter 4 describes the experience gained over a number of years using software measurement and its introduction to organisations developing software products and systems. The final two chapters review the difficulties in implementing a QMS in small organisations.