Software Quality Assurance
Software QA involves the entire software development PROCESS - monitoring and improving the process, making sure that any agreed-upon standards and procedures are followed, and ensuring that problems are found and dealt with. It is oriented to 'prevention'.
software'quality
Quality software is reasonably bug-free, delivered on time and within budget, meets requirements and/or expectations, and is maintainable. However, quality is obviously a subjective term. It will depend on who the 'customer' is and their overall influence in the scheme of things. A wide-angle view of the 'customers' of a software development project might include end-users, customer acceptance testers, customer contract officers, customer management, the development organization's management/accountants/testers/salespeople, future software maintenance engineers, stockholders, magazine columnists, etc. Each type of 'customer' will have their own slant on 'quality' - the accounting department might define quality in terms of profits while an end-user might define quality as user-friendly and bug-free
Quality Assurance is a system of management activities involvingplanning, implementation, assessment, and reporting to make surethat the end product (i.e., environmental data) is of the typeand quality needed to meet the needs of the user. Some examplesof QA processes include the Data Quality Objectives planningsystem, audits, and preparing Standard Operating Procedures(documents which describe how routine procedures are performed toensure they are carried out consistently).Quality Control is the overall system of operational techniquesand activities that are used to fulfill requirements for quality.The QC activities are used to produce and document the quality ofthe end product (i.e., environmental data). Some examples of QCactivities include instrument calibrations, chain-of-custodyprocedures (they track the sample from collection, throughanalysis, to disposal), and performance evaluation samples. What is environmental data?
Tools-Tools include Standard Operating Procedure documents for each method
performed, maintenance logs for instrument performance, a wide variety of
bench sheets, log books and forms used to track all functions occurring within
the laboratory, quarterly internal audits of adherence to standards and procedures,
on-going training records for all analysts, and participation in yearly double-blind
performance evaluation studies.
Torrent’s primary Quality Control tool involves control charts that set acceptance
criteria for each method performed at the laboratory. Some limits are mandated
by specific methods but most are a function of collecting and managing data
points to determine accuracy and precision criteria. Quality control charts are
updated quarterly.
