Dear Bob ...Developing Developer again, with a follow-up to the question you addressed in your last post ("What has the most impact on software quality?" Advice Line, 10/21/2007).Our class has been discussing the waterfall methodology so that is where the question is coming from. I stated the requirements process has the most impact and my instructor considers the testing process contains the most impact.My opin Dear Bob …Developing Developer again, with a follow-up to the question you addressed in your last post (“What has the most impact on software quality?” Advice Line, 10/21/2007).Our class has been discussing the waterfall methodology so that is where the question is coming from. I stated the requirements process has the most impact and my instructor considers the testing process contains the most impact. My opinion is that gathering the proper information for the program is essential for the rest of the processes, similar to what you state and the description of a waterfall methodology. The instructor on the other hand believes the testing is more important because it provides the final product and cleans up the other processes. We have had a good discussion, but I am concerned the instructor is leading me astray in this instance.– Developing DeveloperDear Developing … I can understand your professor’s point. It’s one of those questions whose answer depends on the details of “what did you mean when you asked that?”In principle, you can throw garbage into the testing process. If the testing process is perfect it will catch every single defect and feed everything back through the other phases until it comes out clean. So from one perspective, he’s right.From the other, the less garbage you throw into it, the more efficient it will be at scrubbing what remains. As I think about it, I’d have to say the factual answer is that it’s something IT organizations should keep track of. The more important the testing process, the more IT needs to look upstream to see what needs to be fixed so testing becomes less important. The analogy between software development and a factor is far from perfect. There is one parallel that’s worth drawing for this discussion: If a company manufactures something and thinks the final inspection has the most important on product quality, don’t buy that company’s products. Its management doesn’t understand any of the basic principles of achieving quality.So after thinking it over, I have to disagree with your professor. Although I still think the answer depends on the exact definition of “important.”– Bob Powered by ScribeFire. Technology Industry