Software Engineering: Quality Assurance (Definitions)

"Testing and evaluation of a system to ensure correct results." (Microsoft Corporation, "Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Data Warehouse Training Kit", 2000)

"Group of techniques and methods to assure that the developed software is according to system requirements" (M J Escalona & G Aragón, "The Use of Metamodels in Web Requirements to Assure the Consistence", 2008)

"A process for evaluating project performance in relation to the specified standard of quality." (Bonnie Biafore, "Successful Project Management: Applying Best Practices and Real-World Techniques with Microsoft® Project", 2011)

"The process of ensuring that the development effort will result in the desired product. Quality assurance focuses on defect prevention. Typical quality assurance tools are check lists, project audits, and documented standards. QA activities typically occur up-front in a project." (DAMA International, "The DAMA Dictionary of Data Management", 2011)

"The practice of improving, auditing, and stabilizing a product, service, or other result based on quality requirements and the results of quality control measurements. The focus of QA is to avoid or minimize defects or errors." (Bonnie Biafore & Teresa Stover, "Your Project Management Coach: Best Practices for Managing Projects in the Real World", 2012)

"A set of activities that assess adherence to, and the adequacy of the software processes used to develop and modify software products. SQA also determines the degree to which the desired results from software quality control are being obtained." (Project Management Institute, "Software Extension to the PMBOK® Guide" 5th Ed., 2013)

"Software quality assurance is defined as follows: (1) a planned and systematic pattern of all actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that an item or product conforms to established technical requirements; and (2) a set of activities designed to evaluate the process by which products are developed or manufactured." (Kamalendu Pal & Bill Karakostas, "Software Testing Under Agile, Scrum, and DevOps", 2021)

"Part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled." (ISO 9000)