This essay presents a tutorial that discusses software quality in the
context of total quality management (TQM). Beginning with a historical
perspective of software engineering, the tutorial examines the defini
tion of software quality and discusses TOM as a management philosophy
along with its key elements: customer focus, process improvement, the
human side of quality, and data, measurement, and analysis. It then fo
cus'' on the software-development specifics and the advancements made
on many fronts that are related to each of the TOM elements. In conclu
sion, key directions for software quality improvements are summarized.