Book Review: Managing software quality. Brian Rambling. Published by McGraw-Hill Book Company Europe, Maidenhead, U.K., 1996. ISBN 0 07 709039 X, 193 pages. Price $29.99, Hard Cover.
✍ Scribed by Tracy Hall
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 12 KB
- Volume
- 7
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0960-0833
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Managing Software Quality. Brian Ham-written just before testing is done will test the software you have written rather than the bling. Published by McGraw-Hill Book Company Europe, Maidenhead, U.K., 1996. ISBN: software you should have written'-a point well made I think. 0 07 709039 X, 193 pages. Price: £29.99, Hard Cover.
In Part Three, Hambling covers measurement and process improvement-again within the broad context of ISO 9000-3. Although he rightly At a time when astute companies are keen to acknowledges the importance of each, his covercontrol and improve the quality of their software, age of them is somewhat disappointing and superthis book fills an important gap in the market. ficial. To my mind, both are as structurally The author, Brian Hambling, is an experienced important to managing quality as risk, and yet software practitioner with many years at the Hambling does not really take them as seriously. 'screenface' and his first-hand experience shows
In Part Four, Hambling goes on to have a good throughout the book. Hambling illustrates the stab at discussing how nonlinear development book with examples and scenarios of software methods affect quality management. He quite projects that you can really relate to, indeed that rightly believes that the increasing popularity of make you smile in recognition of project situiterative, prototyping and object-oriented ations that you have also been in. Hambling approaches to software development present understands how projects really work and, quite major challenges to conventional ways of managrightly, focuses on the day-to-day issues that ing quality. However, I was left feeling somewhat actually affect software quality. The book is also frustrated that he did not really suggest substanvaluable as it is structured around the requiretial solutions to this very real problem. ments of ISO 9000-3, something that many com-In the final part of the book, Hambling looks panies are interested in, but say they find it critically at ISO 9000-3 and considers how it difficult to get practical information about.
might contribute to the future. I particularly like By suggesting various mixes and matches of the way he is not blindly evangelical about the chapters, Hambling ambitiously tries to target the standard, acknowledging that it can be difficult book at practitioners with a broad range of to avoid the paper-generation and inertia probsoftware quality knowledge and experience. To lems that are often associated with quality stanthis end, he divides the book into five parts. Part dards.
One is a very basic overview of quality and
Hambling succeeds in his aim of writing a the quality issues that are important in software book for all software practitioners. It manages to development projects. At this point he also introbe accessible to the interested but uninitiated, duces ISO 9001 and ISO 9000-3. This part of and yet informative enough to be of value to an the book is aimed at the totally uninitiated.
experienced quality practitioner. The book also In Part Two, Hambling looks in detail at what manages to be practical, instructive, persuasive he considers to be the vital elements of managing and very readable. Moreover, it is a very nicely software quality: project management, software produced hardback book that is sensibly priced. development and quality management. This is the My only nit-picks are that I would have liked biggest and best part of the book. Hambling more references to other software quality structures his discussion around ISO 9000-3 and, material, and that I don't think Hambling's mind crucially, the topic of risk. Indeed one of the maps were particularly helpful. strengths of this book is that risk is treated as I just hope that this book does not end up fundamental to software development, and consepreaching to the converted, and that practitioners quently it is treated with the respect that it in companies without quality systems see, read deserves. Such respect for risk is refreshing. and take on board some of the issues in this book. Hambling also makes a very convincing argument for treating software development as a manufac-Tracy Hall turing process. His argument is strengthened by
Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering, plenty of practical, easy-to-implement suggestions School of Computer Science, and observations. For example, he consistently University of Westminster, emphasizes the importance of planning testing 115 New Cavendish Street, right from requirements. He believes that if you London, W1M 8JS, U.K. cannot identify test cases from requirements then it is also too risky to design the system from those requirements. He reinforces this message very effectively by saying that 'test specifications