A decision making framework for software total quality management

To raise the issue of software quality is to invite controversy. While nobody denies its significance, its domain is murky, its cost effectiveness is questioned and even its very definition is far from settled. As a result, there is no agreement on how to actually achieve quality software. This study attempts to adopt the decision making model of Herbert Simon, widely recognized in business management science, to address various aspects of software quality. Expanded by George Huber to five phases, this model covers problem solving in its entirety; that is: intelligence, design, choice, implementation, and monitoring. We will see how these phases can provide a framework to embed quality throughout the software development cycle and facilitate the total quality management of software production.