Quality Assurance

Defect: From the producer’s viewpoint, a defect is a product requirement that has not been met, or a product attribute possessed by a product or a function performed by a product that is not in the statement of requirements that define the product. From the customer’s viewpoint, a defect is anything that causes customer dissatisfaction, whether in the statement of requirements or not.

Policy: Managerial desires and intents concerning either processes (intended objectives) or products (desired attributes).

Procedure: The step-by-step method followed to ensure that standards are met.

Process
1. The work effort that produces a product. This includes efforts of people and equipment guided by policies, standards, and procedures.

(2) A statement of purpose and an essential set of practices (activities) that address that purpose. A process or set of processes used by an organization or project to plan, manage, execute, monitor, control, and improve its software related activities.

Productivity: The ratio of the output of a process to the input, usually measured in the same units. It is frequently useful to compare the value added to a product by a process, to the value of the input resources required (using fair market values for both input and output).

Quality: Operationally, the word quality refers to products. A product is a quality product if it is defect free. To the producer, a product is a quality product if it meets or conforms to the statement of requirements that defines the product. This statement is usually shortened to: quality means meets requirements. To the customer, a product is a quality product if it meets the customer’s needs, regardless of whether the requirements were met. This is referred to as fit for use.

Quality – Producer View: The producer’s view of quality has these four characteristics: Doing the right thing, Doing it the right way, Doing it right the first time, and Doing it on time without exceeding cost.

Quality – Customer View: Meeting requirements is a producer’s view of quality. This is the view of the organization responsible for the project and processes, and the products and services acquired, developed, and maintained by those processes.

Standard: A requirement of a product or process. For example: 100 percent of the functionality must be tested.