SOFTWARE QUALITY MANAGEMENT - AN AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE

Since the release of Australian Standard 3563 - Software Quality Management System in late 1988 there has been great interest in the application of formal quality management systems to the development of software. Consequently, the standard has been rewritten to conform to the International Standard (ISO) 9001 for the highest level of quality management and to incorporate some lessons learned from the first edition (which was in a slightly different format). This article discusses some experiences of both implementors of the standard and of assessors of the systems. There is also a summary of the clauses of the standard and discussion of some changes made between the two editions of the documents. Published with the 1991 edition is another document that is an implementation guide to help the smaller companies in the industry to implement their quality management systems. Some contents of this guide are also discussed.