NASA STD- Software Assurance Standard

3.1 GENERAL
A software assurance program shall be planned, documented, and implemented for software development activities. The software assurance program shall:

3.1.1 Ensure that assurance requirements are documented and satisfied throughout all phases of the life cycle.
3.1.2 Detect actual or potential conditions that could degrade quality, including deficiencies and system incompatibilities, and provide a process to ensure corrective action is taken and completed.
3.1.3 Assure timely and effective preventive action by identifying root causes of deficiencies and nonconformances.

3.2 SOFTWARE ASSURANCE
3.2.1 SOFTWARE ASSURANCE PLAN
For each development effort, the software assurance process to be applied shall be documented in a software assurance plan in accordance with NASA-DID-M400, contained in the NASA-STD-2100-91, "NASA Software Documentation Standard." The plan shall describe how the activities specified by this assurance standard will be implemented. The software assurance plan shall be reviewed and, if needed, updated at the end of each life cycle phase. The plan shall address, but is not limited to:

3.2.1.1 Descriptions of the procedures for each software assurance task including traceability to assurance program requirements.
3.2.1.2 Description of the role of the software assurance program in activities for continuous improvement such as:
3.2.1.2.1 A strategy that emphasizes prevention, not correction.
3.2.1.2.2 Improved use of tools and techniques.
3.2.1.2.3 Collection and evaluation of metric data.
3.2.1.2.4 Suggestions for improvements in assurance methods.