Quality Assurance/IV&V

Quality Assurance

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM) defines the principles and practices behind software process maturity. Its intent is to gradually improve the maturity of an organization's software in an evolutionary manner. It aims at growing software processes from the ad hoc, and sometimes chaotic, methods of software customization into a more mature and disciplined approach. T&H employs the following five CMM maturity levels in delivering our Quality Assurance (QA) services:

1) Initial. The software process is characterized as ad hoc, and occasionally even chaotic. Few processes are defined, and success depends on individual effort and heroics.

2) Repeatable. Basic project management processes are established to track cost, schedule, and functionality. The necessary process discipline is in place to repeat earlier successes on projects with similar applications.

3) Defined. The software process for both management and engineering activities is documented, standardized, and integrated into a standard software process for the organization. All projects use an approved, tailored version of the organization's standard software process for developing and maintaining software.

4) Managed. Detailed measures of the software process and product quality are collected. Both the software process and products are quantitatively understood and controlled.

5) Optimizing. Continuous process improvement is enabled by quantitative feedback from the process and from piloting innovative ideas and technologies.

IV&V

Software independent verification and validation (IV&V) is a systems engineering discipline which evaluates software in a systems engineering context, throughout the development and maintenance life cycle per IEEE Standard 1012 - 1986 Software V and V Plans. The benefits of conducting IV&V activities are many.

• Aid in determining that the software requirements are implemented correctly and completely and are traceable to system requirements
• Ensure that those system functions controlled by software are secure, reliable, and maintainable using a structured approach to analyze and test the software
• Evaluates software against its requirements for quality attributes such as performance

IV&V Defined:

Verification: The process of determining whether or not the products of a given phase of the software development cycle fulfill the requirement established during the previous phase.

Validation: The process of evaluating the software at the end of the software development process to ensure compliance with software requirements.

T&H delivers value-added IV&V services throughout the planning, development, and maintenance of software systems. IV&V is an integral component of software QA.