Module Code - Title:
CS5703
-
SOFTWARE QUALITY
Year Last Offered:
2025/6
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
To give students an understanding of:
- Management of software quality
- Software Process Quality
- Software Product Quality
- Quality issues during the development of software
- Measurement techniques for monitoring software quality
Syllabus:
Importance of quality;
Software Quality Management;
Manufacturing quality, Software product quality, Software product quality;
Total Quality Management tools and techniques and their application to software;
Software Quality Assurance;
Software Process Models;
Software Process Assessment;
Definition, planning and controlling Software Process Improvement projects;
Software Product and Software Process Metrics;
Setting quantifiable improvement goals;
Software Inspections;
Software Testing;
Software Defect Prevention;
Configuration Management;
Risk Management;
Software quality in small companies, large companies and distributed teams.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Devise a set of test cases to verify a set of functional and non-functional requirements.
2. Analyse various software development processes (examples include project management, risk management, reviews, configuration management).
3. Prescribe various mechanisms that promote the institutionalization of processes within a software development organization.
4. Investigate how the results of a software process assessment may be used.
5. Describe one software process model and the process categories within that model (e.g. Software Process Improvement and Capability determination Model, ISO 15504).
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Defend the concepts of product and process quality.
2. Demonstrate an appreciation for the importance of effective and mature processes.
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
N/A
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
Daniel Galin (2004)
Software Quality Assurance
, Pearson Education Limited
Sami Zahran (1998)
Software Process Improvement, Practical Guidelines for Business Success
, Addison-Wesley
Other Relevant Texts:
Watts S. Humphrey (1989)
Managing the Software Process
, Addison Wesley
Norman Fenton (1997)
Software Metrics: A Rigorous and Practical Approach
, PWS Publishing Company
M. Lorenz and J. Kidd (1994)
Object-Oriented Software Metrics
, Prentice Hall
R. Binder (1999)
Testing Object-Oriented Systems: Models, Patterns and Tools
, Addison Wesley
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Module Leader:
John.Noll@ul.ie