ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer CSQE Exam Practice Test

Answer : C

Maintenance activities in software engineering are primarily categorized as corrective. This means that the maintenance is focused on identifying and fixing defects in the software after it has been deployed. Corrective maintenance involves:

Bug Fixing: Addressing issues reported by users or identified through testing.

Error Correction: Rectifying faults in the software that cause incorrect or unexpected behavior.

Corrective maintenance ensures that the software remains functional and performs as expected over time.

IEEE Standard for Software Maintenance

Software Maintenance: Concepts and Practice by Penny Grubb and Armstrong A. Takang

Answer : B

Pareto Charts: Used for prioritizing defect types but not for detecting defects.

Output Capture Utilities: Tools designed to capture and record the output of software, making them effective in detecting discrepancies and defects in the system.

File Format Converters: These tools convert data between different formats and are not used for defect detection.

Defect Control Charts: Used for monitoring and controlling defect data over time but not for initial detection.

Conclusion: Output capture utilities are directly involved in detecting defects by capturing output and comparing it to expected results. This aligns with software testing practices where tools that directly capture and log output are essential for defect detection.

Answer : A

The Chair of the Change Control Board (CCB) is responsible for escalating change requests and other issues to a higher level CCB or management. The Chair ensures that all changes are properly reviewed and approved, and any significant issues that cannot be resolved at the current level are escalated for further consideration.

Answer : C

Regression testing is crucial when releasing patches as it ensures that the new changes have not adversely affected the existing functionality of the software. It involves re-running previous tests on the modified software to confirm that the old functionalities still work as expected and that the new patches do not introduce new defects.

Partial releases, software rebuilds, and configuration management are important aspects of software maintenance, but regression testing directly addresses the risk of introducing new issues with patches.

'Software Testing: Principles and Practices' by Naresh Chauhan.

IEEE Standard 829-2008 for Software and System Test Documentation.

Answer : B

When a product release is archived, it is crucial to include the build environment and compilers used. This ensures that the exact environment in which the product was built can be recreated if needed. This information is vital for maintaining the ability to reproduce the build for future debugging, maintenance, or regulatory compliance purposes.

Sommerville, I. (2011). Software Engineering (9th Edition).

IEEE Standard for Software Configuration Management Plans (IEEE 828-2012).

Answer : D

Static analysis tools are used to evaluate documentation and source code. These tools analyze the code without executing it, looking for potential errors, coding standard violations, security vulnerabilities, and other issues.

By reviewing the source code and associated documentation, static analysis helps in identifying problems early in the development process, improving code quality and reducing the likelihood of defects in the final product.

'Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction' by Steve McConnell

'Static Analysis: Results from the Static Analysis Tool Exposition (SATE) IV' by Paul E. Black, Elizabeth Fong, et al.

Answer : A

Change control should be implemented during the requirements phase of the development lifecycle. Early implementation of change control ensures that any changes to the requirements are managed systematically from the outset, maintaining traceability and minimizing the risk of scope creep. This helps ensure that all subsequent phases of the project are based on well-documented and approved requirements, contributing to overall project stability and quality.