Test process improvement and software quality assurance models

Testing often takes between 35 and 50 percent of the total costs of software development projects. Still, the role of testing tends to be underestimated. High costs that are being spent on software testing make a reason for looking for systematical approaches for making the testing processes efficient. Test process improvement models offer such approaches. These models are subject of this thesis. Implementation of process improvement models can be an expensive, long-term activity. Therefore, reasons need to be found, why is important to use such models. Reasons and motivations for using improvement models are demonstrated in the first part of this thesis. It turned out that software testing has, by its historical development, come to the state, when it contains so much theory that companies have a problem absorbing all the knowledge to make testing processes efficient. Therefore, improvement models offer a solution to this problem. This thesis is primarily focused on Test Maturity Model Integration (TMMi), which is being analyzed thoroughly. The work searches for possibilities and limitation of using the model and it summarizes current experiences with the model. Because the TMMi model does not contain a practical assessment method, such method is proposed in this thesis. The assessment method will help organizations using the model. Beside TMMi, the thesis provides an introduction into three other models: Test Process Improvement (TPI), Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and Critical Testing Processes (CTP). All four models are subject to a comparison based on specified criteria. Results of the comparison are analyzed to identify for which situations individual models suit best. The comparison will help organizations to choose the right model for their needs