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    ESA > Our Activities > Space Engineering

    Ariane 5 flight V190 liftoff

    Why is Software Product Assurance important?

    Recall the Ariane 5 first launch in May 1996: After a successful series of Ariane 4 launches, the Ariane 501 maiden flight ended in the Atlantic. A software product from Ariane 4 that was considered reliable and therefore suitable for reuse had not gone through all the verification and qualification process that are normally applied.

    Due to budget and schedule constraints and with applying the appropriate risk management principles, the choice had been taken to shorten the qualification process.The risk may be taken not to perform all activities but this is only worth taking if properly assessed by Product Assurance.

    To go faster, slow down. Everybody who knows about orbital mechanics understands that. -- Scott Cherf (Software engineer proverb)

    On the other hand, the close collaboration of engineering, product assurance, dependability and safety entities on the ATV has been rewarded with the great success of its first mission, Jules Verne.

    How many Quality Assurance testers does it take to change a light bulb? QA testers don't change anything. They just report that it's dark. -- Kerry Zallar (Software engineer proverb)

    In other words, Software Product Assurance assesses the organisation and performance of activities for software processes and enforces their improvement when deemed necessary to allow the correct evaluation of software products.

     

    One can then see Software Product Assurance as equivalent to safety net of a tightrope walker during the development, production and exploitation of our complex software systems.

     

    In other words, Software Product Assurance assesses the organisation and performance of activities for software processes and enforces their improvement when deemed necessary to allow the correct evaluation of software products.

    Last update: 8 October 2012

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