scope:

Purpose of this Guidebook

The purpose of this Software Assurance Guidebook is to provide assistance, in the form of guidance, to NASA managers responsible for software acquisition and development and for establishing software assurance requirements.

The style of the guidebook is intended to be tutorial rather than directive. It is hoped that the reader will find the following sections an easily understood introduction to software assurance and a useful guide to formulating and addressing software project needs related to assurance.

The remainder of this guidebook will touch on each major activity within software assurance: software quality assurance, software quality engineering, verification and validation, nonconformance reporting and corrective action, safety, and security. Section II, Establishing a Project Software Assurance Activity, is designed to assist managers in starting a new assurance activity or improving an existing assurance program.