Process Area 4.2 – Product Quality Evaluation – SG 1 – Measurable project goals for product quality and their priorities are established

A set of measurable and prioritised project goals for product quality is established and maintained.

Introduction

This Specific Goal is looking to the organisation to demonstrate that a set of procedures is in place that show how it is possible to measure the level of accomplishment of the toward the defined set of product quality goals.

The quality of the application will be monitored, maybe based on the outstanding number of defects as testing progresses. You are looking for the number of defects to reduce as you move along the glide-path to release. If the number of defects is increasing then it’s a concern.

Specific Practices

SP 1.1 Identify product quality needs

SP 1.2 Define the project’s quantitative product quality goals

A project’s quantitative product quality goals should be defined based on the individual project’s product quality needs.

SP 1.3 Define the approach for measuring progress toward the project’s product quality goals

There are many ways of defining quality, but quality in software development is normally (but not always) expressed as in terms of how many defects are in the product in testing and ultimately in live. Measurable values need to be expressed – for example, no severity 1 defects outstanding at launch.

Examples of product quality attributes include the following from [ISO 9126]:

• Functionality
• Reliability
• Maintainability
• Usability
• Portability
• Efficiency

A quality attribute template may also be created to help define what is meant by quality, but it would probably be based on the above.

Deployment notes

• Are product quality needs identified and prioritised?
• Is quality defined and quantified?

Example Sub-practices and work products

Specific Practice 1.1 Identify product quality needs

Project product quality needs are identified and prioritised.

Typical work products

• Identified and prioritised product quality needs

Sub-practices

• Review the organisation’s objectives for product quality
• Identify and select stakeholders that need to contribute to the identification of the project’s product quality needs
• Elicit product quality needs using input from stakeholders and other sources
• Analyse and prioritise the identified set of product quality needs
• Resolve conflicts among product quality needs (e.g. if one need cannot be achieved without compromising another need)
• Establish traceability between the project’s product quality needs and their sources
• Review and obtain agreement with stakeholders on the completeness and priority level of the product quality needs
• Revise the product quality needs as appropriate