ITTC-Sample Quality Section 3

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Effective Date Revision
Glossary of Terms 09/2002 01

3 GLOSSARY OF TERMS

This glossary has been prepared to provide a definition of some of the terms used in the field of
quality assurance.

Assurance Evidence (verbal or written) that gives confidence that something will
or will not happen or has not happened.

Audit Systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit

evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extend to
which audit criteria are fulfilled. The comparison of the practices and
systems with the precisely defined methods, procedures and
instructions it has stated it works to. An examination of records or
activities to verify their accuracy, usually by someone other then the
person responsible for them.

Benchmarking A technique for measuring an organisation’s products, services, and

operations against those of its competitors, resulting in search for best
practice that will lead to superior performance.

Calibration All the operations are engaged in for the purpose of determining the
values of errors of a measuring instrument and, if necessary, of
determining other measurement properties.

Capability Ability of an organization, system or process to realize a product that

will fulfil the requirements for that product.

Certification The authoritative act of documenting compliance with agreed

requirements.

Competence Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills.

Computer software Software covers all instructions and data which are input to a
computer to cause it to function in any mode; it includes operating
systems, compilers and test routines as well as applications programs.
The definition embraces the documents used to define and describe
the program (including flowcharts, network diagrams and program

Prepared Verified Approved

Name Name Name

Date Date Date
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listings) and also covers any associated specifications, inspection

plans, inspection data, inspection results and other instructions.

Contract An agreement formally executed by both customer and organisation

(enforceable by law) which requires performance of services or
delivery of products at a cost to the customer in accordance with
stated terms and conditions.

Conformity The fulfilment of a specified requirement by quality characteristic of

an item or service.

Corrective action Action to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity or other

undesirable situation.

Customer Organisation or person that receives a product.

Customer satisfaction Customer’s perception of the degree to which the customer’s

requirements have been fulfilled.

Define and document To state in written form, the precise meaning, nature, or characteristics
of something.

Design A process of originating a conceptual solution to a requirement and

expressing it in a form from which a product may be produced or a
service delivered (e.g. design of a test procedure).

Design and development Set of processes that transforms requirements into specified
characteristics or into the specification of a product, process or
system. Design creates the conceptual solution and development
transforms the solution into a fully working model.

Design approval The definitive procedure through which a product design is tested and
procedure reviewed against specification.

Design review A formal documented comprehensive and systematic examination of a

design to evaluate the design requirements and the capability of the
design to meet those requirements and to identify problems and
propose solutions.

Evaluation To ascertain the relative goodness, quality, or usefulness of an entity

with respect to a specific purpose.
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Evidence of conformance Documents which testify that an entity conforms with certain
prescribed requirements.

Inspection The inspection of an entity to determine whether it conforms to

prescribed requirements.

Instruction The written and/or spoken direction given in regard to what is to be

done, including the information given in training.

ISO The International Standard Organisation. It is the specialised

international agency for the making of standards. It has a membership
of over 90 countries.

Management The person the management appoints to act on their behalf to manage
representative the quality system.

Management system System to establish policy and objectives and to achieve those
objectives.

Measuring equipment Measuring instrument, software, measurement standard, reference

material or auxiliary apparatus or combination thereof necessary to
realize a measurement process.
Objective evidence Data supporting the existence or verity of something.

Organisation Group of people and facilities with an arrangement of responsibilities,

authorities and relationships.

Preventive action Action to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity or other

undesirable potential situation.

Procedure Specified way to carry out an activity or a process. A sequence of

steps to execute a activity.

Process Set of interrelated or interacting activities which transforms inputs

into outputs.

Process capability The ability of a process to maintain product characteristics within

present limits.
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Product Result of a process.

Quality Degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements.

The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that
bear on its ability to satisfy a given need.

Quality assurance All activities and functions concerned with the attainment of quality.

Quality control The operational techniques and activities that sustain the product or
service quality to specified requirements. It is also the use of such
techniques.

Quality manual Document specifying the quality management system of an

organisation.

Quality management Management system to direct and control an organization with regard
system to quality.

Quality plan Document specifying which procedures and associated resources shall
be applied by whom and when to a specific project, product, process
or contract.

Quality policy The overall quality intentions and direction of an organisation as

regards quality as formally expressed by top management.

Quality records Objective evidence of the achieved features and characteristics of a

product or service and the processes applied to its development,
design, production, installation, maintenance, and disposal as well as
records of assessments, audits, and other examinations of an
organization to determine its capability to achieve given quality
requirements.

Quality system The organisation structure, responsibilities, activities, resources and

events that together provide organised procedures and methods of
implementation to ensure the organisation can meet quality
requirements.

Requirement A need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory.

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Review Activity undertaken to determine the suitability, adequacy and

effectiveness of the subject matter to achieve established objectives.

Rework Action on a nonconforming product to make it conform to the

requirements.

Specification The document that describes in detail the requirements with which a
product or service has to comply.

System Set of interrelated or interacting elements.

System audit An audit carried out to establish whether the quality system conforms
to a prescribed standard in both its design and its implementation.

Traceability Ability to trace the history, application or location of that which is

under consideration.

Validation Confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence that the

requirements for a specific intended use or application have been
fulfilled.

Verification Confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence that

specified requirements have been fulfilled.

Work instructions Instructions which describe work to be executed, who is to do it, when
it is to start and be completed, and how, if necessary, it is to be carried
out.