A process-oriented approach to improving software product quality

Production of high quality software depends on early detection of defects and, better yet, prevention of defects. A process-oriented approach for improving defect detection and defect prevention by systematically collecting and analyzing defect data is described in this paper. The processes described here can be embedded in the various process models for software development; they are compatible with development models such as incremental, evolutionary, spiral, and Cleanroom. Because the processes described here are primarily those of software developers, they can be used in conjunction with other quality-enhancing processes such as quality assurance and independent verification and validation.