QA Processes
The main goal of Quality Process is to ensure the delivery of product or applications to the client or the customer that is concurrent to the specification of business requirements and the requirement specifications thereon. To ensure that this goal is achieved, Finite States concentrates on verification, validation, continuous reviews and periodic audits. Finite States also goes on to ensure that its quality process includes:-

• A process for reporting quality problems and reporting it to the concerned management and controlling further delivery of the product until the problem is corrected.
• A procedure for following corrective action to rectify defects.
• A procedure for defect detection and correction and re-test following the correction of the defect.
• A procedure documented accordingly for supporting processes that identify and define control changes, record the request for change of request, ensure completeness and correctness as also consistency in the deliverable item.
• A procedure for conducting internal audits
• Reviews with customer of the product or application to make them updated about the status of progress.
• Software tests using both verification and validation models. A check is also made regarding the completeness of the software and documentation and whether the documentation is perfect in acting as a user guide before the product is delivered.

Some guidelines towards obtaining ISO and CMM level certifications are provided hereunder.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ORGANISATION (ISO –9000)
ISO (International Standards Organization) was established to develop common international standards in many areas.

ISO 9000 is the most important quality standard as it controls Quality, saves Money .

The most important factor in ISO 9000 becoming the accepted standard for quality is the preference of the customers and the competitors use this accordingly. The main purpose of ISO 9000 is to facilitate international trade by creating a single set of standards that the customers accept and prefer to adopt. ISO 9000 applies to all kinds of organization in all kinds of areas.

To meet the ISO 9000:2000 standards and certified as the same, the quality management system formulated by the companies should meet the requirements specified by ISO 9001:2000 standards.

ISO 9001:2000 standards:
For a quality management system to be conforming to the requirements specified by the ISO 9001:2000 standards the essential requirements like Systemic Requirements, Management Requirements and Resource Requirements

CAPABILITY MATURITY MODEL(CMM)

Capability Maturity Model(CMM) for software describes the principles and practices underlying software process maturity and is intended to help software organizations improve the maturity of their software processes.

CMM is generally categorized into five maturity levels:

Initial:
The software process is characterized as intermediate. Few processes are defined in this initial level.

Repeatable:
Basic project management processes are established to track cost schedule and functionality. The necessary process discipline is in place to repeat earlier successes on projects with similar applications.

Defined:
The software process for both management and engineering activities is documented, standardised and integrated into a standard software process for the organization.

Managed:
Detailed measures of the software process and product quality are collected. Both the software process and products are quantatively understood and controlled.

Optimizing:
Continuous process improvement is enabled by quantitative feedback from the process and from piloting innovative ideas and technologies.

Except Level 1,each maturity level is decomposed into several key process areas that indicate the areas an organization should focus on to improve its software process.
The key process areas at Level 2 focus on the software project's concerns related to establishing basic project management controls. They are Requirements Management, Software Project Planning, Software Project Tracking and Oversight, Software Quality Assurance and Software Configuration Management.

The key process areas at Level 3 address both project and organizational issues, as the organization establishes an effective infrastructure that integrates effective software engineering and management processes across all projects. They are Organization Process Focus, Organization Process Definition, Training Program, Integrated Software Management, Software Product Engineering and Peer Reviews.

The key process areas at Level 4 focus on establishing a quantitative understanding of both the software process and the software work products being built. They are Quantitative Process Management and Software Quantity Management.

The key process areas at Level 5 cover the issues that both the organization and the projects must address to implement continual, measurable software process improvement. They are Defect Prevention, Technology Change Management and Process Management.

Each key process area is described in terms of the key practices that contribute to satisfying its goals. The key practices describe the infrastructure and activities that contribute most to the effective implementation of the key process areas.