TickIT: the DTI involvement [software quality]

DTI has had an involvement with the UK IT industry since 1982 and over the course of time, their approach has changed from supporting single companies and research and development of new products, to programmes like Alvey and the promotion of standards and best practice. To help the IT industry, the Department´s IT Division established the Software Quality Unit (SQU) with the purpose of improving the quality of software in the UK by encouraging the use of best practice and appropriate standards and certification. SQU provides support for strengthening of the certification scheme for quality management systems applied to software design and development. Work is in hand to enhance these arrangements and this scheme is called TickIT. The DTI involvement in this significant project is discussed