Exactly five years ago the American Society for Quality (ASQ) launched a new journal. It was called Software Quality Professional (SQP). The other name under consideration was Software Quality Practitioner, but the title selected sounded more, well, professional.
The intervening years have seen an emerging and maturing of the software quality profession. I believe this publication has been both a sign of, and a contributor to, that development. And we have not been alone in this development.
The International Conference on Software Quality, sponsored by the ASQ Software Division, offers a stimulating venue for information exchange each year. The presence of a full track of software topics at recent Annual Quality Congresses has brought our insights to the wider quality community. Establishment and growth of ASQ’s Certified Software Quality Engineer certification program has provided visibility for the specialty and recognition to qualified individuals.
I am proud of the role that SQP has played in development of the profession, and I look forward with confidence that the journal will continue to help advance the state of the practice, foster international cooperation, and gain greater recognition.
This current issue of SQP features the second installment of our special series on Six Sigma applications. We move from the high-level topics of last issue, such as integration of multiple improvement initiatives, to more detailed treatment of defect containment, which should be a concern whether or not an organization is pursuing a Six Sigma approach.
Guest editor Jeannine Siviy of the Software Engineering Institute warns, “Frequently, in the quest to relate Six Sigma to software engineering, people quickly jump to linking defect density to ‘sigma level performance.’ This is a link we need to be cautious about.”
In her view, some developers, such as suppliers to system integrators, might appropriately use defect density as a sigma measure. “However,” she notes, “for most organizations sigma measures should be in customer terms, not engineering terms.” Her point is that customers don’t see or measure defects, but they do suffer when defects cause degradations or failures in operational systems.
The challenge is to continue to articulate the value of quality techniques in such bottom-line business terms. I trust all our articles will provide such practical and professional insights.
—Taz Daughtrey
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