The Need For Specialist Skills

Many times an organisation undertaking software development or procurement may find there is a shortage of a particular skill required for the project. This may arise due to the amount of resource required by the project, because key personnel are otherwise engaged or because it is a skill not generally required.

In these situations one solution is to supplement the existing team with additional resources on an interim or temporary basis. In project based organisations this is particularly common because of the typical resource utilisation profile of projects. Interim personnel are used to make up resource shortfalls or to provide skills that the organisation does not possess.

SQC Expertise

• Test Management
• Test Development
• Test Automation
• Hazard & Failure Analysis
• Interim / Project Management

In each of these areas our specialist skills and breadth of experience enable us to integrate into a client's project team. We are proud of our ability to rapidly understand the nature of the systems we encounter - to understand what they are required to do and the technologies from which they are built. Within a very short time frame we start making a positive contribution to the project's objectives.

Test management requires a detailed understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of software testing together with knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of testing tools. It requires an understanding of how software works and of the processes of software development. On the non technical side project management skills, communication skills and an ability to provide leadership are essential.

SQC principal Neil Hudson MBCS CEng has extensive experience of testing, test management, automated testing tools as well as team leadership, project management and working in senior management teams. In addition, he has also undertaken software development and managed development projects. He has evolved effective pragmatic approaches to software assurance that are risk based and dynamic responding to changing project conditions.

Neil holds an ISEB qualification in software testing, a SERC / Open University Qualification in Project Management ( with distinction ) and a University of York Certificate in Safety Critical Systems Engineering.

Rigorous testing requires that engineers can establish the requirements for the target's behaviour, recognise the conditions that control the behaviour and those that shouldn't but could influence the behaviour. They must be able to systematically analyse these requirements and conditions to identify what to try, what to monitor and what faults to look for. Effective testers need to be able to focus a test package on certain objectives. The objectives may be to address certain types of operating conditions or to look for certain types of failures. The engineer must recognise the objectives and be able to develop appropriate tests.

With many years of test experience and a very systematic approach we can supply ISEB qualified personnel able to develop appropriate test sets. From rapid evaluation packages to highly rigorous test sets they can deliver the test required to meet the client's objective. They are highly effective at locating faults. Their initial analysis of a system often identifies issues with the system's requirements and design allowing early rectification. They produce rigorous, effective tests sets that focus on the correct types of tests.

Foundation Certification in Software Testing

We can supply Mercury Interactive CPC qualified personnel to assist clients using Mercury tools to automate testing. We have experience of designing advanced test harnesses for sub-system and component level tests. Our experience includes developing custom testware in standard programming languages and developing special languages and utilities & test-oracles to assist testing. We naturally adopt a systematic architectural based approach to test solutions.

Channel Alliance Partner

Hazard and failure analysis are techniques that originated in the world of safety critical systems. They are used to focus on and eliminate failures of a system that could compromise safety. However these techniques are not limited to looking at safety problems. The same methods can be used to address any specific operational risks associated with a system.

Specific operational risk areas come in many forms. The risk areas associated with a system depend upon its use. Examples could be incorrect authorisation of a credit card transaction by an authorisation service, severe degradation of service for an ecommerce site or severe undetected corruption within a data storage system. Hazard and failure analysis can be used to assist in designing out risk and validating operation for the risk areas of any system.

SQC principal Neil Hudson MBCS CEng has frequently used predictive hazard analysis and fault analysis as a basis for software assurance. In addition to his experience of applying the techniques he received formal training and assessment whilst studying for a Certificate in Safety Critical Systems Engineering. The assessor, one of the world's leading practitioners in the software safety field, commented on the quality of the analysis performed and admitted that he had learnt things whilst marking the assignment.

Effective management of software development activities requires a balance of technical and managerial skills. A manager must have a clear understanding of the business environment within which software development is being performed. Must be able to prioritise competing pressures for delivery against the need for quality and control. Must recognise that a software system is not an end in itself. Software development knowledge is also critical. An understanding of how software works, how it is developed and the processes needed to maintain control of development are all essential. These skills need to be grounded on a bedrock of hard won experience.

SQC principal Neil Hudson MBCS CEng has been involved in the management of software development for many years. His management experience has been gained in a range of technical and business situations. Neil has managed long term projects developing new products taking them from the initial concept to delivery of system releases. He has also managed teams supporting critical systems with large installed user bases, situations in which rapid delivery of high quality enhancements was essential to maintaining customer satisfaction.

Neil has a balanced approach to software processes and the management of software development. The right balance between discipline and flexibility is essential to successful development. Discipline is essential to manage the quality of the software and to enable management of the project.  Flexibility is essential to be responsive to change, to progress at an acceptable rate and to avoid unnecessary overhead. His hard won experience allows him to balance these conflicting pressures.

Neil holds an ISEB qualification in software testing, a SERC / Open University Qualification in Project Management ( with distinction ) and a University of York Certificate in Safety Critical Systems Engineering.