More on Six Sigma Software Metrics

Quote of the Week

"When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the state of Science, whatever the matter may be."

- Lord Kelvin

The Software Engineering Institute's Six Sigma Overview

Six Sigma is a business-driven, multi-faceted approach to process improvement, reduced costs, and increased profits. With a fundamental principle to improve customer satisfaction by reducing defects, its ultimate performance target is virtually defect-free processes and products (3.4 or fewer defective parts per million (ppm)). The Six Sigma methodology, consisting of the steps "Define - Measure - Analyze - Improve - Control," is the roadmap to achieving this goal. Within this improvement framework, it is the responsibility of the improvement team to identify the process, the definition of defect, and the corresponding measurements. This degree of flexibility enables the Six Sigma method, along with its toolkit, to easily integrate with existing models of software process implementation. This overview, produced by the SEI, provides good introductory background on Six Sigma along with a list of useful references for further reading. (7 pages)

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More on Six Sigma Software Metrics

Parts one and two of this four part series by Dave Hallowell of Six Sigma Advantage surveyed the work connected with several goals shared by software organizations and Six Sigma. He explains how reaching those goals involves establishing systems to identify defects, classify them according to type and point of origin, predict their occurrence, and assess actual defect find rates during development.Until an organization achieves goals 1-3 and derives the business benefits associated with reduced defect repair costs, it probably isn't ready to delve into the ins and outs of Defects per Unit (DPU), Defects per Million Opportunities (DPMO), and Sigma levels. Once goals 1-3 are achieved, however, the organization is prepared to tackle those Six Sigma concepts, understand how they work, and determine where they apply within the software development environment. This article, which represents part three in Dave's series, explores goals four and five. (6 pages)

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Six Sigma Software Metrics - Final Installment

This article is the last in a four part series by Dave Hallowell of Six Sigma Advantage. It presents a discussion of Opportunities For Defects (OFD), Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO) and Sigma levels. When comparing implementations across companies, the common language of DPMO and Sigma levels will assist in understanding benchmarking data. Parts one, two and three followed a progression of goals shared by both software development and Six Sigma: 1) reducing released defects; 2) finding and fixing defects closer to their point of origin; 3) predicting and tracking defect appearance and removal rates and repair costs; 4) comparing implementations within the company; and 5) comparing implementations across companies. (6 pages)

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Site of the Week

The International Society for Six Sigma Professionals

Book of the Week

Fundamental Concepts for the Software Quality Engineer by Taz Daughtrey

From the book description: "'Fundamental Concepts for the Software Quality Engineer' is a collection of the best articles on software quality, taken from the professional journal 'The Software Quality Professional' and recent International Conferences on Software Quality, and compiled by Taz Daughtrey, editor-in-chief of the Software Quality Professional. This book offers insights from over thirty leaders in industry and academia with practical real-world experience, and each article in this book has been peer-reviewed for technical content, assuring that the content is accurate and time-worthy. Each section of the book is arranged to follow the ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer Body of Knowledge, giving the book a logical organization, and making this an outstanding overview of the content in the ASQ CSQE exam."

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