It is not possible to demonstrate an adequate software assurance processes without an organisation creating a relatively large number of documents for each project. Many people see this as a fatal additional cost for software development and point out examples of organisations where documentation got out of hand. However if the level of documentation required is considered at the start of the project (and not applied universally) there is no reason why documentation should impose a heavy burden unless the appropriate activities themselves have not been carried out properly. And this is the purpose of the SQA procedures in the first place.
To help documentation the organisation needs to have a Software Documentation Standard and skeletons for all the documents needed for software assurance. The documentation standard should define the format of the documents and a general chapter structures. A typical example chapter structure is given below:
| Typical Chapter Structure | |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | Scope / Purpose / Application of document |
| Chapter 2 | References / Abbreviations / Glossary |
| Chapter 3 et seq. | Technical content |
The documentation standard should refer to a repository of 'skeleton' documents or templates for each of the software development processes. The standard should also define how these skeletons are represented as 'Data Item Descriptions'Defined and used in MIL-STD-498 to provide descriptions of document deliverables for software projects. A DID specifies the chapters and outlines the required chapter contents for the document deliverable. MIL-STD-498 supplies a comprehensive set of DIDs which may be used by an organisation as a starting point in developing their own set of DID. or in some other defined format.
The document skeletons should provide a TOC (table of contents) with a brief description of the what is required in each chapter. As new types of documents are written for projects, the new skeleton should be put in the repository. At the start of a project the management plan should identify new documents types and initiate the work to develop the relevant new skeletons. With a suitable template and all necessary work done, documentation should not be an excessive burden.
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