Raytheon BBN Technologies

"The purpose of Software Quality Assurance is to provide management with appropriate visibility into the process being used by the software project and of the products being built." - The Capability Maturity Model: Guidelines for Improving the Software Process

Raytheon BBN Technologies created an internal Quality Assurance program to guarantee the activities we perform and the products we deliver to our customers are consistently of the highest quality. The program not only monitors the quality of Raytheon BBN's standard development process, but also as the products that result from it.

Raytheon BBN's Quality Assurance program incorporates:

• Implementation at the departmental level
• Practices and oversight tailored to the specific needs of each project
• Annual independent review
• Process and product quality assurance

The Raytheon BBN Technologies Quality Assurance Strategy

Initially developed as a means to achieve CMM Level 2 compliance, and ultimately CMMI Level 3 compliance, Raytheon BBN's QA program represents a standard for integrating quality assurance into the company's published project management policies and procedures. Our goal is to provide quality verification on processes, internal commodities, and deliverable work products whenever possible. This includes all planning, monitoring, and reporting activities as well as preparation and production of contract deliverables. Every product is reviewed for completeness and correctness, and activities are monitored and reported for all projects for the duration of the contract.

Quality Assurance Tailored to Each Project

We tailor the extent to which QA practices and oversight are applied to each project based upon the nature of the project itself. From basic study projects to complex software development projects, each department outlines the customization required for individual projects based upon the department's QA policy, project size, and deliverables.

Independent Annual Reviews

To ensure the effectiveness of the QA Plan, an independent expert reviews the activities and work products of the department's QA team. Experts may be independent personnel from within Raytheon BBN Technologies.

Process Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance and project compliance are fundamental to all departments at Raytheon BBN Technologies. Compliance includes performance areas such as configuration management, subcontract management, and project-administered QA. To support process quality assurance, we created three internal employee resources:

• Action Item (AI) Tracking database: captures the cost of Process QA at the department level via dedicated charge numbers and within projects via dedicated tasking necessitated by the standard WBS breakdown. The Action Item database also tracks action items resulting from monthly project review meetings conducted by the Department Manager.
• Defect Tracking database: provides a defect tracking system for all projects that do not have customer-controlled or project-specific tracking systems in place.
• Internal departmental websites: employee-accessible archive of department policies and procedures, which collectively define the software development process. The website is a living archive, and regular modifications and additions insure materials are as complete and as current as possible.

Product Quality Assurance

At Raytheon BBN Technologies, the review process is an important part of product QA. Product reviews and peer reviews are utilized for ensuring product quality.

Product review

Metrics collected over the past six years have consistently identified the review process as a way to identify defects early in the development process. At Raytheon BBN Technologies, product deliveries, whether made to an external or an internal customer, are reviewed by independent personnel prior to delivery. In addition, defect tracking and reporting monitor the effectiveness of the Raytheon BBN Technologies development team, the maturity of the resultant deliverables, and supplements any formal reviews necessitated by the contract or requested by the customer.

Peer review

Raytheon BBN Technologies peer reviews are also important for ensuring product quality. Peer reviews can be conducted at any level of software development and are advantageous not only for detecting defects in the product reviewed, but also in extending knowledge of the product to other engineers. Typically, a peer review group includes the product's developers, a technical supervisor, peer developers with some knowledge of the product, peer developers planning to use or interface with the product, and a review facilitator.