A planned and systematic approach to the evaluation of the quality of and adherence to software product standards, processes and procedures. SQA includes the process of assuring that standards and procedures are established and are followed throughout the software acquisition life cycle.

SQA A formal approach to software development, automated regression testing, configuration management, versioning, profiling and release control with the goal of zero defects.

Quality assurance and Quality Control are very similar and often used interchangeably. Strictly speaking quality assurance is used to describe the process by which quality can be demonstrated to have been achieved, whereas quality control is about the processes to be put in place to achieve that quality.

A process by which an organization determines that software it produces and/or acquires satisfies the organization’s technical and administrative performance requirements, relatively free from discrepancies, and meeting user needs. SQA must be part of an organization’s culture to ensure all of its products and services are of the highest quality

The correct definition of Software Quality Assurance goes something like:-