The authors’ intent is to help organizations achieve a level of quality in their software-based solutions that the market will reward and that will mitigate the organization’s risks. The book is organized in eight chapters, two appendices, and a glossary.

First, an Introduction serves as motivation for action leading to acceptable quality. The important thesis here is that information and communication technology systems (ICTS), typically data-based systems and software-based systems (SBS) or embedded software, are converging into data- and software-intensive systems and that, from the quality perspective, such systems can be treated using a common overall approach based on quality requirements. Furthermore, the authors argue that industrialization practices in embedded systems contribute to trustworthiness and that ICTS may benefit from industrialization.

Chapter 2 succinctly presents people, processes, products, and project and portfolio (program-level) viewpoints and concerns. Chapter 3 defines and explains the right software and systems quality characteristics. Chapter 4 explains the role of ICT governance and the authors’ approach to enterprise-wide ICT quality. Chapter 5 provides guidance for implementing a comprehensive framework for supporting achievement of the desired level of quality by moving from an individual quality approach via modularization, standardization, specialization, automation, and continuous improvement to the resulting house of quality. Chapter 6 deals with the specifics of quality services factory (QSF) situations where internal shared services deliver ICT services to their end users. The very short seventh chapter summarizes the benefits of balancing quality and risks. The final chapter is a short summary and can serve as a checklist for subsequent readings and reference. Two appendices provide further reading on verification methods and relevant international standards that will be especially useful to advanced students.

This short book, of fewer than 200 pages, delivers value by proposing an industrialization framework for implementing the proposed approach. The book’s clearly established relevance to numerous referenced standards and links to real experiences are what will be of interest to program- and project-level managers of professional SBS/ICTS development, operation, and maintenance, as well as to advanced students interested in quality assurance.