Software quality assurance engineering at NASA

As our missions on the ground and into space expand to reach new horizons, the complexities and importance of software to mission success also increase. Software has taken on a new, enhanced role and now directly impacts not only mission success, but also the safety of the missions. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) is critical to the success of every mission at NASA, but the roles and responsibilities are often misunderstood. SQA covers all phases of the software development process, with specific activities to assure both the processes used and the products developed. It also includes areas such as safety, reliability, IV&V, and metrics. The purpose of this paper is to explain what software quality assurance entails for both the processes and the products.