ABSTRACT
In systems terms, quality assurance is part of the feedback loop of the engineering system. Quality assurance (QA) teams sample the output and provide feedback signals, in the form of defect reports, so that the output is brought closer to the requirements. If the quality of the output is influenced by the quality of the input, then resources should be devoted to quality procedures related to the input, rather than concentrating on the output. The designer, architect, programmer, and technical writer all try to deliver quality output. Yet the formal seal of approval must come from QA. Software development depends more on the quality of the team members than on the equipment and tools given to them — however sophisticated such tools may be. If the design changes frequently, it impacts the quality of the code because it creates the potential for patchy, retrofitted features, glued logic and code that strays from guidelines.
