Auditing Services for Mission-Critical Projects

Many software organizations develop mission-critical projects— projects where the software must work reliably and consistently. While not safety-critical in nature, many of the techniques and practices used for safety-critical software can be adapted and applied for mission-critical projects.

For example, many mission-critical projects rely on following rigorous software development processes as a means to ensure reliability and dependability. Auditing against these rigorous processes provides evidence that the required development process was in fact followed.

My experience in software engineering, safety-critical software development, training, and auditing, can help identify those aspects of your development process that can be improved to meet your mission-critical project needs.

I hold ASQ Certifications as a Quality Auditor and Software Quality Engineer. I begin each audit with a detailed Audit Plan that identifies what, when, where, and who. The Audit Plan is reviewed and approved prior to the audit. Members of the client's staff are encouraged to participate on the Audit Team.

• An Opening Meeting is held on the first day of the audit to review the audit process and the audit scope with all of the stakeholders and management.
• Daily summary meetings are held to review the day’s findings.
• A Closing Meeting is held on the last day of the audit with stakeholders and management in order to ensure everyone has a clear understanding of the audit findings and observations.

Once the audit is completed, a detailed Audit Report is prepared identifying the regulatory source for each finding. If requested, a detailed "gap analysis" is provided.

The Audit Report is reviewed and discussed with the client to ensure that the report is accurate and that findings are relevant.