Data-Oriented Quality Solutions
Home - Consulting & Mentoring - Education & Training - Research & Development

DOQS > Glossary

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z


- A -

Access Controls
Extent to which access to computer and systems must be restricted. The requirements statement must include a definition of access needs for each a system function and the appropriate access procedures must be designed to support those needs.

Accuracy
Those attributes of a system that provide the required precision in calculations and outputs.

Anomaly Management
Those attributes of a system that provide for continuity of operations under, and recovery from, non-nominal conditions.

ASQ
American Society for Quality.

Audit Trail
Extent to which a system activity must be traced. Reconstruction requirements must be defined and an audit trail designed to meet those requirements must be designed and implemented.

Augmentability
Those attributes of a system that provide for expansion of capabilities for functions and data.

Authorization
Extent to which a system processing requires management authorization. All relevant authorization rules must be defined as requirements and the design must include a method for implementing those rules.

Autonomy
Those attributes of a system that determine its nondependency on interfaces and functions.

- B -

- C -

Clarity
Those attributes of a system (software and documentation) that enable an understanding of the functionality and operation of its components.

CMM
Capability Maturity Model. A registered trademark of Carnegie Mellon University.

Commonality
Those attributes of a system that provide of interface standards for protocols, routines, and data representations.

Communicativeness
Those attributes of a system that provide useful inputs and outputs that can be assimilated by the business user and process.

Compatibility
Those attributes of a system that permit interface with other components of the operating environment without significant effort.

Completeness
Those attributes of a system that provide full implementation of the functions required.

Compliance
Those attributes of a system that are implemented in a manner consistent with the organization's policies, standards, and procedures.

Compliance Testing
Assures that a system is developed in accordance with standards and procedures. All standards have been followed and all documentation is complete and in place.

Comprehensibility
Those attributes of a system that include the features necessary to enable users to perform all needed tasks.

Conciseness
Those attributes of a system that provide for implementation of a function with a minimum amount of human and technical resource.

Consistency
Those attributes of a system that provide for uniform design and implementation techniques and notation.

Continuity of Processing
Extent to which processing must be able to continue. The impact of any possible a system failures must be defined during requirements and appropriate contingency plans developed during analysis and design.

Control Testing
Assures that controls reduce system risk to an acceptable level. All data and process reconciliation procedures work with all appropriate manual controls in place.

Correctness
Extent to which a system must satisfy stated requirements. All requirements must be shown to be clear, complete, unambiguous, measurable, and testable. All design features must be shown to conform to the requirements.

Coupling
Extent to which a system must integrate with other systems. Integration requirements must be defined and appropriate integration controls must be designed.

- D -

Distributedness
Those attributes of a system that determine the degree to which software functions are geographically or logically separated within the overall system.

- E -

Ease of Operations
Effort required to operate a system. The target implementation environment and staff must provide specific operating requirements.

Ease of Use
Effort required to learn and use a system.

Effectiveness
Those attributes of a system that provide for minimum utilization of resources (i.e. processing time, storage, operator time) in performing functions.

Error Handling Testing
Assures that errors can be prevented or detected, and then corrected. Errors of a variety of severity are intentionally introduced into the test cycles.

Execution Testing
Assures that a system achieves desired level of performance. All transaction turnaround time is adequate and execution doesn't preclude other operational activities within the technical environment.

- F -

- G -

Generality
Those attributes of a system that provide breadth to the functions peformed with respect to the application.

- H -

Homogeneity
Those attributes of a system that enable one set of operational characteristics to be substituted for another set of comparable characteristics.

- I -

Independence
Those attributes of a system that determine its non-dependency on the software environment (i.e. computing system, operating system,, utilities, input/output routines, libraries).

Integrity
Extent to which a system activity must be accurate. File integrity requirements must be defined and mapped to the controls that are designed.

Intersystems Testing
Assures that data is correctly passed from system to system. All intersystem parameters have changed and foreign system documentation has been updated.

- J -

- K -

- L -

- M -

Maintainability
Effort required to locate and fix errors in operational programs.

Manual Support Testing
Assures the people-computer combination produces the right result. All manual procedures required to use and operate the a system functions have been developed and implemented.

Methodology
Extent to which the development plan and process must be followed. The project plan must conform to all methodology and standards requirements in order to serve as a baseline for compliance testing.

Modularity
Those attributes of a system that provide a structure of highly cohesive modules with optimum coupling.

- N -

- O -

Operability
Those attributes of a system that determine operations and procedures concerned with the operation of the software.

Operations Testing
Assures that a system can be executed in a normal operational status. Only production documentation is needed in order to operate system functions.

- P -

Parallel Testing
Old system and new a system are run and the results compared to detect unplanned differences. The old and new system outputs can be reconciled within the limits imposed by new a system functions.

Performance
Extent to which a system must be able to perform its functions within specified limits. Operational constraints must be defined as requirements and all design features are tested against these constraints.

PMI
Project Management Institute

Portability
Extent to which a system can operate in multiple environments.

- Q -

QAI
Quality Assurance Institute.

- R -

Reconfigurability
Those attributes of a system that provide for continuity of system operation when one or more processors, storage units, or communication links fails.

Recovery Testing
Assures that a system can be returned to an operational status after a failure. Backup data and recovery procedures are in place and working, including major disaster recovery planning and rehearsal.

Regression Testing
Assures that anything unchanged still performs correctly. All unchanged a system components still function as expected and all manual procedures surrounding the systems are still correct. The potential scope of testing is theoretically largest in regression testing since the entire universe of technology and documentation outside of a project's scope should be retested to assure no negative unplanned impacts. In fact, risk assessment can be used to dramatically limit the scope of regression testing to those technology and documentation components that are reasonably at risk.

Reliability
Extent to which a system can not fail during operation. Tolerances must be established for all a system functions during requirements and data and process integrity controls must be designed to assure that a system functions within the established tolerances.

Requirements Testing
Assures that a system performs as specified in order to meet the needs of the users. The specifications map back to specific requirements and those requirements represent the real and complete user set of requirements. All policies and regulations have been adhered to. Requirements testing looks for complete bi-directional traceability of each detail requirement statement to each detail unit of technology implementation and documentation.

- S -

Security Testing
Assures that a system is protected in accordance with importance to organization.

Self-containedness
Those attributes of a system that enable software to be transported from one platform to another without impacting related software.

Self-descriptiveness
Those attributes of a system that provide explanation of the implementation of a function.

Service Levels
Extent that schedules must be met. The desired service levels must be identified as requirements and the method for achieving the desired service levels must be included in the design.

Simplicity
Those attributes of a system that provide for the definition and implementation of functions in the most noncomplex and understandable manner.

Specificity
Those attributes of a system that provide for singularity in the definition and implementation of functions.

Stress Testing
Assures that a system performs with expected high volumes. Sufficient technical resources have been allocated so that operational capability can be maintained under maximum volume and pressure.

Supportability
Those attributes of a system that enable the software to be modified, explained, and fixed to meet current user needs.

System Accessability
Those attributes of a system that provide for control and audit of access to the software and data.

- T -

Traceability
Those attributes of a system that provide a thread of origin from implementation to the requirements with respect to the specified development envelope and operational environment.

Training
Those attributes of a system that provide transition from current operation or provide initial familiarization.

- U -

- V -

Validity
Those attributes of a system that enable test activities to confirm correctness of the functional specifications and the ability to meet all other quality and test factors.

Virtuality
Those attributes of a system that provide a system that does not require user knowledge of physical, logical, or topological characteristics.

Visibility
Those attributes of a system that provide status monitoring of the development and operation of the system.

- W -

- X -

- Y -

- Z -


A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z