Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? In this course, you learn how to define, design and effectively lead Software Quality Assurance (SQA) activities using proven techniques tailored for your life cycle model. You gain the necessary skills to improve customer satisfaction through SQA practices, deliver consistent quality through verification and validation best practices, and control critical product components using Configuration Management (CM). What background do I need? Previous experience with software development is highly beneficial but not required. Who will benefit from this course? The course is valuable for those who plan activities, organisations and staffing for effective quality assurance, including project, quality and line managers. Programmers and analysts learn specific techniques in this course enabling enable them to develop and/or assure higher-quality products with fewer resources. This course also benefits all organisational managers responsible for customer satisfaction. We already have an established quality assurance program. Will I still benefit from this course? Absolutely. This course validates current practices as well as provides new techniques and recommendations for continuous process improvement. We develop software using object- and/or component-oriented methodology. Will this course apply to me? Yes. Successful software quality processes do not depend on any particular implementation technique. Teams using object- or component-oriented methodologies benefit greatly by implementing the quality systems taught in this course. My system is especially small/large/complex. Will this course still apply? The course covers issues that apply to all types of systems, from embedded software to e-commerce, with special emphasis on timely and cost-efficient delivery of quality products. The course includes specific techniques that you tailor to your particular work environment. Is this course useful if we subcontract our software development/maintenance? Yes. This course is especially useful if you subcontract. It provides the needed activities for your subcontracters' SQA plans and provides the basis for audits of your subcontracters. Why do I need this course? Survival! Customers are demanding faster service and higher quality-and all at lower cost! Also, there is an international movement to require registration/certification of quality assurance programs. Those companies without them won't remain competitive in the software market. This course helps you stay competitive. Will this course help me start up a new quality assurance group? Yes. This course provides specific SQA tasks, responsibilities and techniques helpful for starting a new quality assurance group within your organisation. You can also tailor the course materials to best suit your organisation's needs. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours Introduction to quality assurance 2.5 Planning for SQA 3.0 Implementing verification and validation approaches 4.5 Applying Configuration Management (CM) 3.0 Auditing the software process 4.0 Continuous process improvement 4.0 Writing an SQA plan 3.0 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. How are the workshops structured? The workshops reinforce specific key points. Working in small teams, you analyse and perform quality-related activities through various phases of the life cycle as well as apply new techniques and share valuable experiences. Does this course cover quality standards? While this course is not tailored to any specific quality standard, the activities are aligned with SEI CMMI, ISO 9001 and IEEE. For exclusive coverage of quality standards, you may be interested in Course 932, CMMI® : A Comprehensive Introduction. Does the course cover metrics? This course familiarises you with a variety of product, process and project management metrics. You learn how to devise and implement measurements to fine tune your software development processes. Metrics are also introduced as a primary method for status reporting and process improvement. Do you discuss configuration management? Configuration management (CM) is a cornerstone of the quality system. The course introduces the basic issues of CM functions. The course identifies the interactions between quality, test and CM at different points in the life cycle. Learning Tree also offers a detailed configuration management course, Course 342, Software Change, Configuration and Release Management. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? This course provides the basic concepts necessary to implement a quality system in today's dynamic environment. The following software development courses will enhance your ability to implement quality assurance and quality control: 342, Software Change, Configuration and Release Management offers practical knowledge of techniques and tools to establish and maintain the integrity of the documentation and code that constitute a software product 932, CMMI® : A Comprehensive Introduction  provides you with the knowledge and skills to apply CMMI principles and practices to meet the demands of internal and customer service requirements 316, Software Testing Foundation: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction offers practical experience with testing and inspection procedures and methods 322, Systems Analysis and Design: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction gives you a comprehensive set of proven techniques for the analysis and design of software systems 218, User and System Requirements for Successful Software Development offers the skills to develop software requirements for software-intensive systems 931, Agile Programming: Principles and Practices for Software Success provides you practical experience to deliver adaptable software iterations and releases based on Agile methodologies 340, Project Management for Software Development offers the skills to deliver successful software projects that support your organisation's strategic goals 930, Developing Effective Software Estimation Techniques gives you the knowledge and skills to prepare a software project estimate through an iterative process