Software Quality Management

Audits

The purpose of a software audit is to provide an independent evaluation of the conformance of software products and processes to applicable regulations, standards, guidelines, plans, and procedures. The audit is a formally organized activity, with participants having specific roles, such as lead auditor, another auditor, a recorder, or an initiator, and includes a representative of the audited organization. The audit will identify instances of nonconformance and produce a report requiring the team to take corrective action.

While there may be many formal names for reviews and audits such as those identified in the standard (see IEEE1028- 97), the important point is that they can occur on almost any product at any stage of the development or maintenance process.