Before describing this book, I want to clarify what this book is and is not. It is: background material for candidates pursuing ASQ's Certified Software Quality Engineer, practicing CSQEs, and members of the software quality profession who may or may not be interested in becoming a CSQE.
It is NOT: the principle resource for studying for the CSQE exam, which is based upon the ASQ Software Quality Engineer Body of Knowledge.
What this book contains: twenty articles that comprise this compendium are aligned to the eight Software Quality Engineering Body of Knowledge topic areas:
(1) Standards, Principles, and Ethics
(2) Quality Management
(3) Software Processes
(4) Project Management
(5) Measurement
(6) Inspection and Testing
(7) Audits
(8) Configuration Management
The articles are primarily drawn from ASQ's Software Quality Professional magazine, of which this book's editor is editor-in-chief. Among recognizable names of some of the contributing authors - all of whom have published books in their respective areas of expertise - are: Watts Humphrey, William Florac and Anita Carleton, Tom Gilb, Dorothy Graham, and Tim Kasse. All of the other authors are experts in their respective fields as well, which is reflected by the uniformly high quality of writing and knowledge imparted by each of the articles.
I like the careful selection of articles, and the way they are aligned to the Software Quality Engineering Body of Knowledge. Each goes to the heart of the topic area, and also augment the body of knowledge by providing real-world views. Although this book is not intended to be the official study guide for the CSQE exam, the material will certainly reinforce the body of knowledge and better prepare candidates for the exam. For practicing CSQEs this book will provide a handy reference of realistic applications of the body of knowledge on the job. For others in the software quality profession - from testing professional to SQA analysts and engineers - this book gives a solid framework of the profession as a whole. The knowledge and experience imparted by the authors is invaluable.
