Software Quality Management: Factors, Markov Chain, and Improvement

This report focuses on software quality improvement, recognizing its significance in the competitive software industry. It addresses the challenge of managing multiple factors impacting software quality within stochastic processes and limited resources. The report proposes a systematic framework using a Markov chain to model the stochastic processes of a quality management system and select the optimum set of factors affecting software quality. The methodology involves determining customer requirements through surveys, identifying factors, defining improvement strategies, and utilizing Markov Chain for selecting the optimum strategy. The report concludes by providing a methodology for improving factors impacting software quality, considering both internal and external customer requirements. The quality of the software is directly related to all the requirements that are placed forward by the customers as needed.

SOFTWARE
MANAGEMENT AND
TESTING

INTRODUCTION
 Quality of a software was referred to as one of the primary
features of competition within the field of software in the late
80s.
 Quality related to a software is identified using the basic
common approach of total quality management (TQM).
 Total Quality Management checks the software along with the
score of satisfaction related to the customer while using the
respective software.

DETERMINATION AND EVALUATION
OF CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS
 Quality of a software abides all the requirements needed to
fulfil with the development of the software.
 Gathering of customer requirement is done with the help of
surveys, focus groups, interviews and trade shows [2].
 Requirement of the customer is determined from this collected
data from the primary source and then after the software is
built.

IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS
FULFILLING THE REQUIREMENTS
 Specific needs of the customers are identified as well as
significance related to each need is extracted out for the
development.
 Failure to meet the desired requirements is termed as
nonconformity.
 Identification of the needs in turn, refer to the quality of the
software that is being developed meant for the satisfaction of
the customers.

DEFINITION OF STRATEGY FOR
IMPROVEMENT OF FACTORS
 Increase within the procedure of implementing the methods
related to automation[1].
 Control of the processes as well as improvement of the same
 Designing of the processes to make them much simple as well
as comprehensive
 Usage of the statistically controlled quality
 Bringing a change within the individual processes that are
carried out.

SELECTING OF THE OPTIMUM
STRATEGY UTILIZING MARKOV
CHAIN
 For the improvement of the effects of each factor, the process
of simulation needs to be implemented for the effects of every
single factor.
 The basic process of conducting such a simulation defines the
need for the opting of processes included within the quality
management system.
 Markov Chain specifically refers to an important tool need for
the modelling of stochastic procedures.

ALGORITHM FOR SELECTING
OPTIMUM STRATEGY
 Definition of the state of fulfilment in relation to the
requirement of the customer.
 Definition of the state transition diagram.
 Definition of the initial probable transition in between states.
 Definition of initial probabilities after the quality of software is
improved.
 Determination of the probable delivery of the software.
 Comparing the existing options at disposal.

CONCLUSION
 This study provides with a methodology for the improving of
factors having an effect upon the quality of the software.
 All of the requirements related to the customers are taken into
account, be it external or internal.
 Quality of the software directly relates to all the requirements
that are placed forward by the customers as needed.

REFERENCES
 [1]I. Janicijevic, M. Krsmanovic, N. Zivkovic and S. Lazarevic,
"Software quality improvement: a model based on managing
factors impacting software quality", Software Quality Journal,
vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 247-270, 2014. Available: 10.1007/s11219-
014-9257-z.
 [2]W. Lewis, D. Dobbs and G. Veerapillai, Software testing and
continuous quality improvement, 3rd ed. New York: Auerbach
Publications, p. 688 pages, 2017.