Quality (business)In business, engineering, and manufacturing, quality – or high quality – has a pragmatic interpretation as the non-inferiority or superiority of something (goods or services); it is also defined as being suitable for the intended purpose (fitness for purpose) while satisfying customer expectations. Quality is a perceptual, conditional, and somewhat subjective attribute and may be understood differently by different people. Consumers may focus on the specification quality of a product/service, or how it compares to competitors in the marketplace.
Verification and validationVerification and validation (also abbreviated as V&V) are independent procedures that are used together for checking that a product, service, or system meets requirements and specifications and that it fulfills its intended purpose. These are critical components of a quality management system such as ISO 9000. The words "verification" and "validation" are sometimes preceded with "independent", indicating that the verification and validation is to be performed by a disinterested third party.
DocumentationDocumentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge management and knowledge organization, documentation can be provided on paper, online, or on digital or analog media, such as audio tape or CDs. Examples are user guides, white papers, online help, and quick-reference guides. Paper or hard-copy documentation has become less common.
Norme et standard techniquesUne norme technique est un référentiel établi par un organisme de normalisation officiellement agréé par un État via une organisation nationale de standardisation (comme Afnor pour la France), agréé au niveau Européen (comme le CEN ou le ETSI), ou encore issu d'un traité international (comme ISO). Comme la langue anglaise ne marque pas la différence entre norme et standard (« norme » se dit « standard » en anglais), on parle pour les normes de standards de jure et pour les simples standards, de standards de facto.
Marque de certificationUne marque de certification est un signe permettant d'attester de la conformité (d'un produit, d'une transformation, d'un service, d'un processus, d'une entreprise...) à un référentiel de certification (norme, règlementation, cahier des charges, etc.). En France, la marque de certification est définie dans le Code de la propriété intellectuelle. Les marques sont enregistrées auprès de l'INPI. Les marques de certification sont la propriété d'une institution, d'un organisme, d'une association mais à droit d'usage collectif.
Analyse des systèmes de mesureL'analyse des systèmes de mesure (anglais : measurement system analysis) est un processus d'évaluation d'un système de mesure (les instruments, les méthodes de test, les conditions, etc.) pour en déterminer la qualité, mais aussi la capabilité en vue d'une application donnée. Elle joue donc un rôle important dans la métrologie industrielle, la gestion de la qualité et les démarches associées.
Product certificationProduct certification or product qualification is the process of certifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests, and meets qualification criteria stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications (sometimes called "certification schemes" in the product certification industry). Most product certification bodies (or product certifiers) are accredited to or aligned with ISO/IEC 17065 Conformity assessment -- Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services (previously ISO/IEC Guide 65:1996) an international standard for ensuring competence in those organizations performing product, process and service certifications.
Conformance testingConformance testing — an element of conformity assessment, and also known as compliance testing, or type testing — is testing or other activities that determine whether a process, product, or service complies with the requirements of a specification, technical standard, contract, or regulation. Testing is often either logical testing or physical testing. The test procedures may involve other criteria from mathematical testing or chemical testing. Beyond simple conformance, other requirements for efficiency, interoperability or compliance may apply.
Engineering design processThe engineering design process, also known as the engineering method, is a common series of steps that engineers use in creating functional products and processes. The process is highly iterative - parts of the process often need to be repeated many times before another can be entered - though the part(s) that get iterated and the number of such cycles in any given project may vary. It is a decision making process (often iterative) in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective.
Software requirements specificationA software requirements specification (SRS) is a description of a software system to be developed. It is modeled after the business requirements specification (CONOPS). The software requirements specification lays out functional and non-functional requirements, and it may include a set of use cases that describe user interactions that the software must provide to the user for perfect interaction.
