CSQE flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Cost of poor quality

Sum of internal failure costs (scrap, rework) and external failure costs (warranty, complaints, liability). Excludes prevention and appraisal spending, which are conformance costs.

Prevention vs appraisal cost

Prevention cost is spent before defects occur (training, process design, tools). Appraisal cost is spent detecting defects (reviews, testing, audits). Both are conformance costs.

Defect detection effectiveness

Defects found before delivery divided by all defects found before and after delivery. Measures how well pre-release verification catches faults; higher is better.

Defect removal efficiency

Defects removed in a phase divided by defects that existed when that phase started, including later-found defects traceable to that phase. Higher values mean fewer escapes.

Defect density

Number of defects divided by a size measure such as KLOC or function points. Used to compare modules or releases; size measures must be consistent across comparisons.

MTBF and availability

MTBF equals one divided by failure rate. Availability equals MTBF divided by MTBF plus MTTR. Increasing MTTR lowers availability even when failure rate is unchanged.

Reliability growth model

Statistical model predicting failure rate decline as faults are removed. Exponential models assume proportional decline; S-shaped models add a learning phase before improvement.

Fagan inspection stages

Planning, overview, preparation, inspection meeting, rework, and follow-up. Each stage has entry and exit criteria, and trained moderators keep the meeting focused on defect finding, not fixing.

Pareto defect analysis

Ranking defect categories or modules by frequency or cost to reveal that a small subset causes most defects. Guides where to focus prevention and review effort first.

Root cause analysis

Structured investigation to find the underlying process cause of a defect rather than its symptom. Common techniques include 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, and fault tree analysis.

Quality function deployment

Method translating customer requirements into design and process characteristics via a matrix. Ensures quality attributes are designed in rather than inspected in later.

Verification versus validation

Verification confirms the product was built according to specification (reviews, inspections). Validation confirms the product meets user needs (acceptance testing, usability testing).

Process capability index

Cp compares specification width to process spread (six sigma). Cpk accounts for centering. Cpk below 1.0 indicates the process produces defects at a meaningful rate.

Statistical process control

Using control charts to distinguish common-cause variation from special-cause variation. Only special causes justify process adjustment; reacting to common causes increases variation.

Orthogonal defect classification

Defect taxonomy that classifies each defect by type, trigger, and impact. Enables trend analysis and targeted process improvement rather than raw defect counting.

Software quality assurance plan

Document defining quality objectives, standards, reviews, tests, metrics, and responsibilities for a project. IEEE 730 is a commonly cited structure for such plans.

Quality audit

Independent, documented examination of work products or processes against defined criteria. Audits verify compliance; they do not replace testing or technical reviews.

Technical review vs walkthrough

A technical review is a formal, documented examination by peers against standards. A walkthrough is informal, led by the author, and aimed at familiarization and feedback.

Escape defect

Defect found by a customer or later phase that existed at an earlier phase exit. Escape counts measure the effectiveness of phase gate criteria.

Requirements traceability matrix

Table mapping requirements to design elements, code, and test cases. Confirms every requirement is covered by tests and every test traces to a requirement.

Software reliability definition

Probability that software operates without failure for a specified time under stated conditions. Depends on operational profile, not just code correctness.

Operational profile

Probability distribution of how users actually invoke system functions. Reliability testing weighted by the operational profile predicts field failure rates better than uniform testing.

Code coverage types

Statement, branch, and path coverage measure executed code elements. Branch coverage subsumes statement coverage; path coverage is usually infeasible for large programs.

Cyclomatic complexity

Metric equal to edges minus nodes plus two in a control flow graph. It equals the number of independent paths and bounds the minimum number of tests needed.

Mutation testing

Injects small artificial faults into code and checks whether tests detect them. Mutation score measures test suite strength; surviving mutants reveal weak assertions.

Quality attribute scenario

Six-part statement: source, stimulus, artifact, environment, response, and measure. Makes nonfunctional requirements such as performance or security testable.

Six Sigma DMAIC

Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. A data-driven improvement cycle used to reduce defect rates in software and process workflows.

DMAIC vs PDCA

DMAIC is project-focused and data-heavy for existing processes. PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is a simpler continuous improvement cycle applicable to any process.

Independent verification and validation

IV&V performed by an organization technically and managerially independent of the developer. Independence increases objectivity and credibility of quality findings.

Quality metrics baseline

Recorded metric values for a defined release or product line. Baselines allow comparison of new projects and detection of trend shifts over time.

Defect containment effectiveness

Percentage of defects found within the phase where they were introduced. High containment means defects are caught before propagating to later work products.

Process improvement maturity

Capability maturity models rate process maturity on levels from initial to optimizing. Higher maturity correlates with more predictable defect and schedule performance.