Peopleware Papers: Notes on the Human Side of Software, The

Chapter 33. Quality by Increments

Whether it's “Total Quality Management,” “Continuous Process Improvement,” or ISO, most current notions of process and product quality emphasize enterprise-wide commitment to quality with heavy investment for long-term payoffs. Elaborate schemes for assessing and increasing “process maturity,” such as the well-known Capability Maturity Model of the Software Engineering Institute, may have big payoffs, but they can also require a major commitment of resources just to get started (Humphrey, Snyder, Willis 1991) and may have unintended consequences (Bollinger and McGowan 1991). For the greatest, most enduring gains, substantial restructuring and comprehensive quality assurance programs may be necessary, but there ...