QSTAR™

As a foundation for our quality assurance practice, Mosaic, Inc. is developing a companion product to MSTAR® (Mosaic’s Structured Testing and Assessment Repository) -- QSTAR^TM.  QSTAR^TM is a process asset library for effective software risk management. 

Mosaic’s quality assurance practice is focused on helping projects reduce the risk associated with developing and implementing their software development projects.  This includes:

• Applying software development processes so they include the processes appropriate for the risks associated with a particular project. 
   
• Ensuring adequate checks and balances to highlight risk early so it can be managed.
   
• Effective use of an appropriate quality assurance function to partner with project management to ensure the proper process is setup and used appropriately to minimize risk.

To support Mosaic’s approach to software risk management, QSTAR™ provides practical and flexible processes related to the following areas:

• Earned Value Management – Project control is a critical check and balance for mission critical projects.  Earned value management (EVM) applied to software development integrates the scope of work with traditional measures of cost and schedule to provide a more realistic and comprehensive project control capability.  EVM can also enforce the strong project management and quality practices key to effective software risk management.
   
• Project Management – Project management is responsible for monitoring and controlling risk at the project level.  This can be more effective and transparent when quality assurance is a knowledgeable partner in the process.
   
• Executive Management – Executive management commitment is critical to both drive quality practices throughout the organization and also to promote effective risk management across a portfolio of projects.
   
• Measurement – Effective measurement established as a natural byproduct of the process provides the objective information needed to identify and manage risk.
   
• Quality Assurance– Quality assurance applied appropriately provides a partnership with project management to ensure the project is successful.  This function helps project management ensure appropriate application of process, and helps identify and manage risks.
   
• The Software Development Life Cycle – Appropriate application of the software development process to meet the risk characteristics of your project is a critical component for effective risk management.

Who Can Benefit from QSTAR™?

While QSTAR^TM provides guidance for the entire project team, it focuses its support on three main audiences:

• CIOs and CTOs who manage software risk across a portfolio of projects and who are working to enhance their company’s ability to predictably develop quality software.
   
• Project Management charged with managing project risk and predictably delivering quality software on time and within budget.
   
• Quality Assurance working with Executive Management and Project Management to reduce software risk and to improve the quality and predictability of their software development efforts.