The role of software process improvement into total quality management: an industrial experience

NEC do Brasil-NDB is a telecommunication company that encompasses Brazilian and Latin America markets by providing products and solutions to its customers. With its business, NDB has four areas, which are concerned in software development: switching; wireless; transmission; and radio. NDB software teams perform customization of systems developed by other companies as well as the complete development of software systems. These are real time systems and they control the functionality of the telecommunications equipment, operate in commercial computers and in embedded systems. NDB has been developing since 1996 a specific program for Software Process Improvement. This R&D program is a partnership with University of Sao Paulo-USP and has been the first Brazilian Telecommunication Company to apply the model SW-CMM and achieving Level 2 in 1997. The aim of this paper is to present NDB's experience in the implementation of software quality management-SQM, by applying the experience culture and successful practices already institutionalized in an environment of total quality management-TQU. The paper also proposes to answer doubts of implementation, problems faced in development of activities as well as the found solutions, lessons learned and SQM benefits. SW-CMM is an application of TQM concepts to software development and the success of TQM has inspired the software process improvement. Experience shows that a management structure estabished with TQM concepts is applicable and tailored, in many aspects and features, for a SQM establishment. In spite of this experience and knowledge have great relation with SW-CMM some practices and the general concept can be applied in any of current models or standards for software process improvement.