Software Engineering Terms - A

ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

The criteria that the software component, product, or system must satisfy in order to be accepted by the customer.

ACCEPTANCE PROCESS

The process used to verify that a new or modified software product is fully operational and meets the customer's requirements.

ACCEPTANCE TESTING

Formal testing conducted by the customer to determine whether or not a software product or system satisfies the documented acceptance criteria. Successful completion of acceptance testing defines the point at which the customer will accept the product as a successful implementation.

ACTIVITY

A major unit of work to be completed in achieving the objectives of a software project. An activity incorporates a set of tasks to be completed, consumes resources, and results in work products. An activity may contain other activities in a hierarchical manner. All project activities are described in the Project Plan.

ACTOR

A person or system that interacts with the software application in support of a specific process or to perform a specific operation or related set of operations. See Use Case.

ALGORITHM

A set of well-defined rules for the solution to a problem in a finite number of steps. Generally implemented as a logical or mathematical test or calculation. See Business rules.

ANOMALY

A nice word for "bug." Anything observed in the operation of software that deviates from expectations based on design documentation or user references.

APPLICATION

One or more software executables designed to fulfill a specific set of business functions individually or in cooperation with other applications.

ASSESSMENT

A formal examination of a deliverable, generally by a quality assurance reviewer, for the presence of a specific set of attributes and structural elements. An assessment is not an in-depth examination of content, as the content of a deliverable may be outside the reviewer’s domain of expertise. See Review.

ASSUMPTION

A condition that is generally accepted as truth without proof or demonstration.

ATTRIBUTE

A piece of information describing part of a particular entity.

AUDIT

An independent examination of software or software documentation to assess compliance with predetermined criteria.

AUTHENTICATION

The ability of each party in a transaction to verify the identity of the other parties.