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Home > Topics > Software Project Management > Software Testing and QA Fundamentals > quality assurance (QA)

quality assurance (QA)

Publis hed: 15 Feb 2007

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QUEST 2014: NEWS FROM THE CONFERENCE

This article is part of an Essential Guide, our editor-selected collection of our best articles, videos
and other content on this topic. Explore more in this guide:
3. - TERMS TO KNOW: READ MORE IN THIS SECTION
quality assurance (QA)
agile project management
Testing as a Service (TaaS)

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1. - QA and testing news
2. - QUEST 2014 coverage

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

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

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

Posted by: Margaret Rouse

View the next item in this Essential Guide: agile project management or view the full
guide: QUEST 2014: News from the conference

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What is quality assurance (QA)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

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