Quality and Configuration Management in Electronics Development
Knowing which product baseline has been tested and released
A requirement is changed, the software is adapted and a new hardware version is built. Shortly afterwards, a system test begins. For its result to be meaningful, it must be clear which versions were tested, which changes were included and which development stage the test evidence belongs to.
Silver Atena supports development projects with quality and configuration management. Structured reviews, documented changes and traceable product baselines connect the work of the specialist departments. This keeps it clear throughout development which results are available and on what basis decisions were made.
Quality risks caused by unclear changes and product baselines
Electronic systems are not created in a single design. Requirements, architecture, hardware and software evolve, and tests provide new insights. If one part of the product changes, documents or test results that have already been produced may be affected.
Without a controlled approach to these changes, contradictions arise. A test specification may refer to an earlier requirement. A test report may belong to a different hardware or software version from the one that is to be released. In the worst case, it is no longer possible to reconstruct clearly what characteristics a particular device had.
Quality and configuration management establish binding processes for this. They make changes assessable, keep development stages together and support verification. This is particularly important in projects with high safety, quality or certification requirements.
Services in quality and configuration management
Silver Atena supports the development of electronic systems with quality planning, reviews and release and change processes. Configuration management ensures that related development artefacts and product baselines can be clearly assigned. This makes it possible to trace whether results were produced in accordance with the defined processes and which product baseline is being considered with which evidence.
The quality function supports hardware, software and system development through to release and helps to prepare assessments and audits. While project management controls deadlines, resources and project goals, quality and configuration management focuses on processes, product baselines, changes and evidence.
Quality planning and development quality
At the start of a project, it is defined which quality requirements, processes and evidence are relevant, including reviews, release steps and responsibilities. During development, it is checked whether these processes are being implemented and open issues are being addressed. In this way, quality planning links the project requirements with day-to-day development work.
Configuration and baseline management
A configuration describes which related versions make up a product, such as requirements, hardware versions, software versions and evidence. A baseline is a formally approved reference state of selected configuration items at a specific point in time. It can also represent an interim development stage and does not automatically mean that the product has been fully verified or released for delivery. Changes follow the defined change process, so that the starting point and the affected items remain identifiable. We also check related configuration items for completeness and consistency and, depending on the project, compare the documented configuration with the built or delivered product.
Change, version and release management
A changed requirement can have consequences for architecture, implementation and testing. The need for change is therefore assessed and agreed with the areas concerned. After approval, the responsible departments implement the change, verify it and incorporate it into the associated product baseline in a controlled manner. Version and release management make it clear which versions are intended for development, testing or delivery. This allows everyone involved to refer to the same defined baseline.
Reviews and release processes
Reviews create defined points at which technical documents, development stages or milestone criteria are checked jointly. Open issues are documented and followed up. The quality function also includes organising gate reviews and assessing milestones in accordance with the respective project requirements.
Document and evidence management
Requirements, review results, change decisions and test evidence must be retrievable and assigned to the correct product baseline. Their status and scope must remain identifiable even if they have been superseded by newer versions. In the event of a release or an audit, this makes it possible to trace which documents were used and which open issues existed at the time in question.
Defect, action and quality management
In the event of deviations in the process or product baseline, what was found and how it is being dealt with is documented. Actions are assigned owners and deadlines. Their implementation and, where necessary, their effectiveness are verified before the deviation is closed. Quality metrics can help to reveal recurring anomalies.
Quality and configuration management in the development process
The work begins with the requirements of the project: which processes and standards are to be applied? Which results must be verified? Which product items should be placed under configuration control? Quality and configuration activities are planned on this basis.
During development, new versions of requirements, circuits, software and technical documents are created. Configuration management keeps the assignment of the relevant versions traceable. Reviews and quality assessments check whether results meet the defined criteria. When changes occur, the impact on related development artefacts is considered. Before milestones and releases, the respective baseline is assessed together with its evidence and open issues. This makes it possible to reconstruct later which decision was made on which information basis.
This includes traceability between requirements, development and testing. A requirement leads to technical decisions, to implementation in hardware or software and to suitable verification evidence, for example through tests, analyses, inspections or demonstrations. If one element of this chain changes, the impact on the others must be identifiable. Requirements engineering, development, and test and validation are responsible for the technical content. Quality and configuration processes assign their results to the correct development stage and reveal gaps in the evidence.
Standards and process requirements in automotive and aerospace
The requirements for quality and configuration management depend on the industry, product and project. Automotive SPICE is a model for assessing development processes and covers, among other things, quality assurance and configuration management. In safety-related automotive projects, ISO 26262 can impose additional requirements on planning and evidence. EN 9100 addresses quality management systems for aviation, space and defence. SAE ARP4754 may be relevant for the development of civil aircraft systems. Revision B has been published since December 2023; the revision to be applied in a project depends on customer and certification requirements.
Silver Atena is certified to ISO 9001 and EN 9100 and states Automotive SPICE Level 2 on its certificates page. Management system certificates apply to their respective scope. Automotive SPICE results relate to the processes assessed within the respective assessment scope. They are not a blanket certification of all development projects. The applicable requirements and evidence are defined for each individual project.
Quality management for automotive, aerospace and defence
Silver Atena aligns its quality and configuration processes with the requirements of the respective project.
Automotive
In automotive projects, development stages, changes and evidence must be compatible with the requirements of the respective series development. Automotive SPICE and safety-related requirements can influence the process framework.
Aerospace
Aerospace projects require particularly careful assignment of product baselines and development evidence.
Defence
Extensive documentation and evidence requirements may apply to defence projects.
Your benefits from controlled product baselines and changes
A clearly defined product baseline makes cooperation easier: development, testing, quality and the customer can all refer to the same basis. If requirements or components change, the affected documents and evidence are reviewed in a targeted way.
Structured reviews and documented decisions make the course of the project more traceable. For audits and releases, the required information can be assigned to a specific baseline. This reduces the risk of contradictory versions or unresolved changes only coming to light late in the project.
Quality management in interaction with project management, development and testing
Project and development management plans and controls the project. Requirements engineering keeps requirements technically up to date. System architecture and system integration, hardware development and embedded software develop the product; Test and validation checks the required characteristics. Functional safety also needs traceable requirements and product baselines for its evidence.
Quality and configuration management connect the results of these departments through controlled processes, changes and releases. This creates the basis on which a development stage can be assessed and its creation traced.
Why Silver Atena for quality and configuration management?
Silver Atena develops electronic systems in projects with high quality and safety requirements. The quality function supports development through to release and works together with hardware, software, system development, testing and production. Certified management systems and assessed development processes provide a framework for this within their respective scope of validity and assessment.
Combining quality management with technical development helps to align processes with the actual product baseline. Changes and evidence are considered together with the departments that develop and test the product.
Safeguarding quality and product baselines for your development project
Do you want to keep development stages traceable, implement changes in a controlled way or prepare evidence for reviews and releases? Silver Atena supports you with quality and configuration management for your project.