2006 CSQA Body of Knowledge
Knowledge Category 4

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance is a professional competency whose focus is directed at the critical processes used to build products and services. The profession is charged with the responsibility for tactical process improvement initiatives that are strategically aligned to the goals of the organization. This category will address the understanding and application of quality assurance practices in support of the strategic quality direction of the organization. The quality practitioner should understand the importance of a quality function, how to implement a quality function and how it matures over time, as well as how to create a quality plan, the use of quality tools, process deployment, and differentiating between internal auditing and quality assurance.

Establishing a Function to Promote and Manage Quality

The Challenges of Implementing a Quality Function
How the Quality Function Matures Over Time
Support in Corporate Quality Management Environment
Implementing an IT Quality Function

Quality Tools

Management Tools
Statistical Tools
Presentation Tools

Process Deployment

Getting Buy-in for Change through Marketing
The Formula for Effective Behavior Change (behavior = individual + environment)
The Deployment Process (assessment, strategic, tactical phases)
Critical Success Factors for Deployment

Internal Auditing and Quality Assurance

Types of Internal Audits
Differences in Responsibilities


Bibliographic References

IMPORTANT: It is each candidate's responsibility to stay current in the field and to be aware of published works and materials available for professional study and development. Software Certifications recommends that candidates for certification continually research and stay aware of current literature and trends in the field. There are many valuable references that have not been listed here. These references are offered for informational purposes only.
Handbook of Software Quality Assurance
edited by Gordon Schulmeyer and James I. McManus. Prentice-Hall, 1999. See Details

Practical Guide to Software Quality Management
by John W. Horch. Artech House, 1996. See Details

Inroads to Software Quality: "How To" Guide and Toolkit
by Alka Jarvis and Vern Crandall. Prentice-Hall, 1997. See Details

Software Quality: A Framework for Success in Software Development and Support
by Joc Sanders and Eugene Curran. Addison-Wesley, 1994. See Details

Cultivating Successful Software Development: A Practitioner's View
by Scott E. Donaldson and Stanley G. Siegel. Prentice-Hall, 1997. See Details

Software Process Design: Out of the Tar Pit
by Jacqueline Holdsworth. McGraw-Hill, 1994. See Details

Knowledge Management and Its Integrative Elements
edited by Jay Liebowitz and Lyle C. Wilcox. CRC Press, 1997. See Details

Knowledge Organizations
by Jay Liebowitz and Tom Beckman. St. Lucie Press, 1998. See Details

Data Stores, Data Warehousing, and the Zachman Framework:
Managing Enterprise Knowledge
by W. H. Inmon, John A Zachman, and Jonathan G. Geiger. McGraw-Hill, 1997. See Details

Planning and Designing the Data Warehouse
edited by Ramon Barquin and Herb Edelstein. Prentice-Hall, 1996. See Details

Software Engineering, 5th Edition
by Ian Sommerville. Addison-Weslet, 1996. See Details

Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach, 3rd Edition
by Roger S. Pressman. McGraw-Hill, 1992. See Details


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