The Spotlight is on Linda Westfall Author of some of our Software Quality Assurance questions.

RN: Please tell us a little about yourself.

WESTFALL: I am the President of the Westfall Team, which provides Software Quality Engineering and Software Metrics training and consulting services. Prior to starting my own business, I was the Senior Manager of the Quality Metrics and Analysis at DSC Communications where my team designed and implemented a corporate wide metrics program. I have more than twenty years of experience in real time software engineering, quality, and metrics. I have worked as a Software Engineer, a Systems Analyst, a Software Process Engineer, and a Manager of Production Software.

I am very active professionally. I am Chair of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) Software Division. I have also served as the Software Division's Program Chair and Certification Chair and on the ASQ National Certification Board.

In my "spare time," my husband and I are fireworks enthusiasts and amateur pyrotechnicians. Our specialty is whistle rockets and I am starting to learn to make ball shells. I also publish Pyrotechnic Artists of Texas newsletter.

RN: What interested you in writing ReviewNet tests?

WESTFALL: As chair of ASQ Software Division's certification committee, I have had training in how to write multiple choice questions and have written many questions for our Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Quality Manager certification exams. I have also been invited to a question writing workshop to help expand the Professional Engineering examination into the Software Engineering field (Texas is the first state to recognize Software Engineering as an engineering discipline under their P.E. registration and I have my P.E. under this program). Given all of this, I was very interested in exploring ReviewNet's methods and techniques to add to my item writing expertise. I was also very intrigued by the concept of providing a discipline specific set of questions to help interviewers discern the actual knowledge level of candidates.

RN: What did you enjoy most about writing your Software Quality Assurance test?

WESTFALL: First, working with the staff at ReviewNet was a real pleasure. They are very helpful, positive, and knowledgeable professionals.

Second, I consider myself a professional student. Every time I write a new set of questions, I learn more about my discipline. Writing not only the questions but writing the clear, concise rationales required for the ReviewNet questions challenged me. And as usual, that challenge lead to new learning.

RN: How did you first get involved in writing technical books?

WESTFALL: I have co-authored course material from ASQ's Software Quality Engineering and Software Metrics courses. I started doing this because I am passionate about Software Quality. Software Quality principles, techniques and practices are essential in delivering high quality software to our customers on time and within budget. However, these topics are not typically taught at our universities. Combining this need with my love to teach drew me to writing course material for ASQ and to eventually starting my own company to provide training and consulting in this field.

I am also writing my first book, "12 Steps to Useful Software Metrics." This book has grown out of my course by the same name and from the encouragement I have received from colleagues that tell me I must "get this message out there." This book introduces the reader to the basics of Software Metrics and How to Establish a Software Metrics Program. It outlines a simple step-by-step method for selecting, defining, and tailoring Software Metrics to meet the information needs of their organization.

RN: Outside of working with ReviewNet, what do you feel is your biggest professional accomplishment?

WESTFALL: I lead the effort to create the ASQ's Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE) certification. This took more than 5 years and the dedicated volunteer work from several hundred Software Quality professionals. I enjoyed recruiting and working with many software industry experts and senior practitioners on this report. This exam and its associated Body of Knowledge helps define our profession and provides a vehicle for Software Quality Engineers to demonstrate their professional competency to current and future employers.

RN: How do you keep up with changing technologies and the latest trends in the IT industry?

WESTFALL: I am an avid reader. In fact, I have turned an entire room of my home into a Software Engineering Library. While most people read novels for fun and entertainment, I read books on software engineering, metrics, and quality. I also enjoy books on management, leadership, creative thinking, and team building.

One of the biggest advantages of running my own consulting company is being able to attend Software Engineering conferences. I attend the ASQ Software Division's International Conference on Software Quality (ICSQ) and the Applications in Software Measurements/Software Management conference (ASM/SM) as well as several others each year. Conferences provide an excellent opportunity to network with others in my field and learn from the successes (and sometimes the failures) of real life experiences.

The Intranet is also a wonderful source of information. One of my personal favorite sites is www.StickyBrain.com which is a wealth of Software Testing and Quality Engineering articles and information.

RN: Tell us a little about your ReviewNet test.

WESTFALL: My ReviewNet test focuses on the area of Software Quality Assurance. It includes questions in Software Quality Management, Auditing, Process, Metrics and Measures, Verification and Validation and Configuration Management.

RN: What advice would you give to someone learning your discipline? Are there significant barriers to learning about this subject?

WESTFALL: Unfortunately, there are not a lot of colleges out there that offer many courses in Software Quality Engineering. The good news is there are a lot excellent books, conferences and training courses that focus on the subject. Learning this discipline will take some dedicated self-study, but the quality of the work you do will definitely benefit from gaining this knowledge.

RN: What do you see as the future of Software Quality Assurance? Where would you like to see it go?

WESTFALL: Interestingly enough, the Software Quality Engineering profession saw a down-turn in the 90's when the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM(SM)) gained popularity. The CMM relegated the SQA professional to the limited role of auditing the processes. In the last several years, I have seen Software Quality Engineering regain its past stature as people are realizing that "process" is only one part of the total Software Quality Discipline (and not the other way around).

I believe that as the Software profession moves from a craft into a true engineering discipline, the importance of the role of Software Quality Engineering will continue to grow.

RN: When did you decide to get into the Information Technology field?

WESTFALL: My BS degree is in Mathematics from Carnegie-Mellon University. After college, I spent a year and a half teaching 7th grade math, which was more than enough to teach me that I wasn't destined to be a Junior High School teacher.

When my husband and I moved to Texas, I had an opportunity to get a grant that paid for two semesters of Graduate School for "women mathematicians and scientists who were under employed or unemployed." I had taken a couple of computer science classes at Carnegie and this grant added enough to my skill set to help me land my first programming job. I fell in love with software and it became my hobby as well as my career.

RN: Please share your thoughts with us on the role that ReviewNet evaluations play in hiring IT professionals.

WESTFALL: As a manager in the Software Quality profession, it is sometimes difficult to assess the true knowledge an individual candidate has from their resume or from an interview. I believe that the use of tests like ReviewNet's that sample the in-depth, discipline specific knowledge of the candidate can provide managers with valuable information that can aid them in making better hiring choices.

Web site: www.westfallteam.com