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Publ i s he d: 15 Fe b 2007

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In developing products and services, quality assurance is any systematic process of checking tosee whether a product or service being developed is meeting specified requirements. Manycompanies have a separate department devoted to quality assurance. A quality assurancesystem is said to increase customer confidence and a company's credibility, to improve workprocesses and efficiency, and to enable a company to better compete with others. Qualityassurance was initially introduced in World War II when munitions were inspected and testedfor defects after they were made. Today's quality assurance systems emphasize catchingdefects before they get into the final product.

ISO 9000 is an international standard that many companies use to ensure that their qualityassurance system is in place and effective. Conformance to ISO 9000 is said to guarantee thata company delivers quality products and services. To follow ISO 9000, a company'smanagement team decides quality assurance policies and objectives. Next, the company or anexternal consultant formally writes down the company's policies and requirements and how thestaff can implement the quality assurance system. Once this guideline is in place and thequality assurance procedures are implemented, an outside assessor examines the company'squality assurance system to make sure it complies with ISO 9000. A detailed report describesthe parts of the standard the company missed, and the company agrees to correct anyproblems within a specific time. Once the problems are corrected, the company is certified asin conformance with the standard.

Contributor(s): J. AlexanderThis was last updated in February 2007

Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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What is quality assurance (QA)? - Definition from WhatIs.com 04/06/2014

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How to learn Python,Ruby and other scriptinglanguagesJoi n the ra nks of s oftwa re QApros tha t ha ve l e a rne d Python,Ruby or othe r s cri pti ngl a ngua ge s to code s cri pts fors oftwa re a utoma ti on proje cts .

Does test-drivendevelopment fall intoproject manager duties?A proje ct ma na ge r mus tunde rs ta nd a nd fa ci l i ta tete s ti ng, but how cl os e l y doproje ct ma na ge r duti e s a l i gnwi th te s t-dri ve n de ve l opme nte fforts ?

Quality assurance vs.testing the focus ofBelgium Testing DaysLi s a Cri s pi n conti nue s wi ths umma ri e s of the ke ynote a ndma ny of the s e s s i ons a tBe l gi um Te s ti ng Da ys . Thethe me of the confe re nce wa sQA ve rs us Te s ti ng: Anta goni s mor Symbi os i s ?

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The UK-based International QualityInstitute offers membership tobusiness professionals who seequality assurance as a primaryconcern.

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More News and TutorialsHow to learn Python, Ruby and other scripting languagesDoes test-driven development fall into project manager duties?Quality assurance vs. testing the focus of Belgium Testing Days

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