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QUALITY PROCESS
The
primary intent of our quality system is to ensure the delivery of the
required quality of product or service. In order to achieve this, our
quality process makes use of the results of verification, validation,
Joint reviews and Audit processes.
At BSL, Software
Quality Assurance Department (SQAD) carries out the review of software
products and related documentation for completeness, correctness, reliability
and maintainability. It also includes the assurance that the system meets
the specifications and the requirements for its intended use and performance.
Our quality process includes all quality system elements required by ISO
9001.
1. A process
for reporting quality problems, escalating them to appropriate levels
of management, and
controlling further distribution of nonconforming
product until the problem is corrected.
2. Procedure for following up corrective actions to rectify process defects.
3. Documented procedures for review and authorized release of documents
and product.
4. Procedures for defect detection and correction and subsequent re-test
following rework including configuration
control.
5. Documented procedure for a supporting process whose purpose is to identify,
define, and baseline items;
control changes and releases of these items; report
and record status of the items and change requests;
ensure completeness, consistency and
correctness of the items.
6. Policies and procedures for conducting internal audits.
7. Joint reviews with the customer of project, technical progress and
deliverables.
8. SQAD tests the software using both verification & validation techniques.
It ensures that the Software and
Documentation is complete and is working properly
before the Software is supplied to the customer.
SQAD stresses
the importance of "Planning" in the achievement of Quality :
"Building in " quality from the start, rather than trying to
"inspect" it at the end. This requires taking all necessary
preventive measures before a process is started, and if non conformance
does occur, identifying the root cause & taking the appropriate action
to prevent recurrence in future. Quality Systems, based on the concept
of prevention, give confidence to both suppliers & customers alike
that requirements will be met.
The primary focus of the quality process at BSL is on prevention of faults
at every stage rather than their subsequent detection and correction.
Towards this objective, the Company has set up two level quality control
function which works as follows:
Level
-I, Quality Control :
The philosophy of Quality Control is the Detection of Non-conforming products,
process, equipment & services before they impact the customer. At
BSL, we try to achieve Quality by inspecting products using software module,
system testing and acceptance testing before delivery to the customer.
Quality controllers are responsible for ensuring desired quality at project
level and it is probably the most critical function in ensuring high quality
and timely deliverables.
The software products being developed by the BSL., pass through the verification
(alpha testing using simulated test data) and validation ( beta testing
using software in a live environment ) techniques. All testing of the
software products is planned. Test plans are retained and test results
recorded against the plans. The various types of tests that are carried
out are:
- Unit Testing
: done to verify the program units carries out the functions defined
in its specifications.
- Integration
Testing : done to verify that various programs comprising the system
or module are compatible and the interfaces between the programs are
correct.
- System
Testing : done to verify that the system meets its stated objectives
and performance requirements.
- Acceptance
Testing : done to assure the end user that the system functions in the
intended manner.
- Reviews
: are conducted to ensure that the requirements of any phase of software
development are met.
No software
is released without performing these tests successfully.
Thus all the test strategies are used to detect and remove as many errors
as possible from a program.
Level
- II Quality Auditing :
Quality Auditors conducts project audits at predefined frequency as well
as randomly across all groups.
To determine the effectiveness of a Quality System, the Quality Audits
are used as a management tool. Generally there are three types of Quality
Audits conducted at BSL.
1. Internal
(First Party) Audits : These audits are carried out within an organization
by its own trained personnel to assess the compliance of the quality system
to documented requirements.
- Internal
Audits are planned & scheduled to meet the needs of the organization
to assess all aspects of Quality System.
- The Principal
aim of Internal Audit System is to provide Input into the Quality improvement
process.
- Audits
are conducted by the staff trained for the task. Plans / Checklists
are used to assist the auditor to investigate systematically.
- On completion
of an Internal Audit, auditor reports the findings & also initiate
the follow up activities.
- SQAD selects
certain location units for more frequent auditing depending on their
status, importance & past compliance history.
- Quality
Manager(QM) prepares a program of Internal Audits which encompass all
company activities over a 24 month period.
2. Second
Party : These audits are performed by a customer at the supplier's premises
to assess the degree of compliance of the quality system with documented
requirements.
3. Third
Party : These audits will be carried out in BSL by third party organization
or a regulatory authority, to assess its activities against specific requirements
as a part of ISO implementation process.
This ensures
uniform compliance Quality Standards across all projects.
BSL also
has a Quality Steering Committee, which is the apex group for defining
long-term quality road map and quality objectives. This group is responsible
for
- Defining
quality, strategies and implementing them to ensure completion of all
ISO related activities.
- Ensuring
that the Quality System is established, implemented and maintained in
accordance with the International Standards.
- Review
of the Quality System at the regular intervals sufficient to ensure
its continuing suitability, effectiveness in satisfying the requirements
and maintaining records of such reviews.
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