Software Development and Safety Critical Decisions System Development Process Quality Management Standards

System Development Process Software quality assurance refers to those methods within the software development methodology that are used to guarantee that software being developed will operate reliably

System Testing Dynamic testing is testing code by entering test data and comparing actual results to expected results. Black-box testing involves viewing the software unit as a device that has expected input and output behaviors but whose internal workings are unknown. White-box testing involves viewing the software unit as a device that has expected input and output behaviors but whose internal workings are known.

System Testing Static testing is running an analyzer software that looks for suspicious patterns in programs that might indicate a software defect. Integration testing ensures that all linkages among various subsystems work successfully. System testing is conducted to test the entire system as a complete entity. User acceptance testing is an independent test performed by trained end users to ensure that the system operates as expected from their viewpoints.

Quality Management Standards The International Organization for Standardization issued the ISO series of business management standards in 1988. ISO 9000 is a series of formal standards to follow when developing quality information systems. To be ISO 9000 certified, a company must do three things: Have written procedures for everything they do. Follow those procedures. Prove to an auditor that they have written procedures and that they follow them.

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis FMEA is an important technique used to develop any ISO 9000 compliant systems. FMEA is used as a reliability evaluation technique to determine the effect of system and equipment failure. Failures are classified on their impact on mission success, personnel safety, equipment safety, customer satisfaction, and customer safety.