Software Quality Assurance

Flashcards covering key concepts in software quality, testing, and inspections.

Poor Outcomes from Over Reliance on Testing

Catching issues late, high costs, lower effectiveness compared to industries that build in quality from the start.

Incomplete Test Coverage

Nearly impossible to test every possible scenario, bugs arise from edge cases and integration issues not in test suites.

Effective Quality Assurance

Address quality from the start, good requirements, clean architecture, code reviews, and developer discipline.

Efficiency of Defect Finding

Reviews are more efficient than testing; unit testing finds 2-4 defects per hour, code reviews find 6-10 defects per hour.

Author Role in Inspection

Developer/creator of work product, responsible for clarifying issues during inspection.

Moderator Role in Inspection

Leads the inspection process, organizes meetings, ensures principles are followed, and facilitates discussions.

Secretary (Recorder) Role in Inspection

Records identified defects, requires solid understanding of software engineering.

Paraphrasers (Readers) Role in Inspection

Explains document content in their own words to ensure understanding.

Inspectors Role in Inspection

Trained reviewers who examine the document independently and come prepared with a list of defects.

Walkthroughs

Informal review sessions where the author presents work for feedback.

Inspections

Formal, structured reviews used to collect metrics about the software process.

Walkthrough Reviewers

Domain experts who assess the product based on their knowledge.

Inspection Reviewers

Trained, professional inspectors.

Walkthrough Focus

General correctness of the product from the point of view of domain experts.

Inspection Focus

Correctness of the product according to a checklist.

Walkthrough Leadership

Led by the author, no specific roles like moderator or recorder.

Inspection Leadership

Clearly defined roles: author, moderator, secretary or recorder, paraphrasers or readers and inspectors. The moderator organizes and leads the process.

Cost of Quality (CoQ)

Total expense incurred to ensure a product/service meets quality standards.

Prevention Costs

Costs to avoid defects in the first place, e.g., QA planning, training, process improvement.

Appraisal Costs

Costs to detect defects during development, e.g., unit testing, integration testing, code reviews.

Internal Failure Costs

Costs when defects are found before product release, e.g., rework, re-testing, scrap.

External Failure Costs

Costs when defects are found after product release, e.g., customer complaints, product returns, lost sales.