This article describes the application of total quality management (TQM) methods and principles to the software development environment. Its purpose is to Provide an introduction to TQM for software development staff; Describe the processes needed to achieve TQM, are illustrate the practical application of the processes through a case study.
The use of TQM to gain a competitive advantage is fast becoming an acceptable practice and has been well proven in many countries throughout the world. Probably, more has been written on the subject of quality than on any other topic in recent years. The focus of TQM is on the management of an organization and covers a wide spectrum of topics from human psychology through to business management. It is not the intention of this article to cover such a broad spectrum; there are many books and articles already available, some of which are referenced in the bibliography section. Rather, this article is an attempt to provide an overview in a language to which software developers can relate to and to put the processes of TQM into the context of their development activities.
The application of TQM to software development is very much in its infancy. In the main, only the largest and most successful information technology companies have achieved success in translating the TQM methods and practices to the software industry.
This article aims to stimulate increased interest and provide some guidelines for the further establishment of TQM in the software development environment.
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