SECTION I: Acronyms

PART FOUR – ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS

SECTION II: Definitions

Application environment: Where a product is used, for example, defense systems and facilities, energy facilities, aircraft, space systems, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, commercial products.

Approval: The agreement that an item is complete and suitable for its intended use.

Attributes: Performance, functional, and physical characteristics of a product.

Baseline: (1) An agreed-to description of the attributes of a product, at a point in time, which serves as a basis for defining change. (2) An approved and released document, or a set of documents, each of a specific revision; the purpose of which is to provide a defined basis for managing change. (3) The currently approved and released configuration documentation. (4) A released set of files consisting of a software version and associated configuration documentation.

Change: See engineering change.

Computer software documentation: Technical data or information, including computer listings, regardless of media, which document the requirements, design, or details of computer software; explain the capabilities and limitations of the software; or provide operating instructions for using or supporting computer software.

Configuration: (1) The performance, functional, and physical attributes of an existing or planned product, or a combination of products. (2) One of a series of sequentially created variations of a product.

Configuration audit: Product configuration verification accomplished by inspecting documents, products, and records; and reviewing procedures, processes, and systems of operation to verify that the product has achieved its required attributes (performance requirements and functional constraints), and the product’s design is accurately documented. Sometimes divided into separate functional and physical configuration audits.

Configuration change management: (1) A systematic process that ensures that changes to released configuration documentation are properly identified, documented, evaluated for impact, approved by an appropriate level of authority, incorporated, and verified. (2) The configuration management activity concerning the systematic proposal justification, evaluation, coordination and disposition of proposed changes, and the implementation of all approved and released changes into (a) the applicable configurations of a product, (b) associated product information, and (c) supporting and interfacing products and their associated product information.

Configuration documentation: Technical documentation, the primary purpose of which is to identify and define a product’s performance, functional, and physical attributes.

Configuration identification (product definition): (1) The systematic process of selecting the product attributes, organizing associated information about the attributes, and stating the attributes. (2) Unique identifiers for a product and its configuration documents. (3) The configuration management activity that encompasses selecting configuration documents; assigning and applying unique identifiers to a product, its components, and associated documents; and maintaining document revision relationships to product configurations.

Configuration management (CM): A management process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product’s performance, functional, and physical attributers with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life.

Configuration status accounting (CSA) (product configuration information): The configuration management activity concerning capture and storage of, and access to, configuration information needed to manage products and product information effectively.

Configuration verification: The action verifying that the product has achieved its required attributes (performance requirements and functional constraints) and the product’s design is accurately documented.

Contract: As used herein denotes the document (for example, contract, memorandum of agreement or understanding, purchase order) used to implement an agreement between a customer (buyer) and a seller (supplier).

Data: Recorded information of any nature (including administrative, managerial, financial, and technical), regardless of medium or characteristics.

Disapproval: Conclusion by the appropriate authority that an item submitted for approval is either not complete or is not suitable for its intended use.

Firmware: The combination of a hardware device and computer instructions or computer data that reside as read-only software "burned into" the hardware device; various types of firmware include devices whose software code is erasable/re-programmable to some degree.

Functional attributes: Measurable performance parameters including reliability, maintainability, and safety.

Hardware: Products made of material and their components (mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, pneumatic). Computer software and technical documentation are excluded.

Interface: The performance, functional, and physical attributes required to exist at a common boundary.

Interface control: The process of identifying, documenting, and controlling all performance, functional, and physical attributes relevant to the interfacing of two or more products provided by one or more organizations.

Interface control documentation: Interface control drawing or other documentation that depicts physical, functional, and test interfaces of related or co-functioning products.

Life cycle: A generic term relating to the entire period of conception, definition, build, distribution, operation, and disposal of a product.

*NAS technical documentation: Any set of documents that describe the technical requirements of the National Airspace System.