Software Quality Assurance
The Department of Energy's Office of Environment, Safety and Health (EH) has issued DOE Order 414.1C, Quality Assurance, to address software quality assurance (SQA) requirements for nuclear safety-related applications at DOE nuclear facilities. Guidance associated with this DOE order is provided in DOE Guide 414.1-4, the Safety Software Guide.
Because emergency preparedness and response software has a safety-related function (e.g., is used in planning for an emergency or to provide information used to make safety-related decisions during an actual event), this DOE SQA Order and Guide may be applicable to many of our software products.
The following links offer additional information. Further guidance on how to apply the Order and Guide to consequence assessment models is being developed by SCAPA in conjunction with DOE/EH.
DOE Order Definition of Safety Software
Definitions of Safety System Software, Safety and Hazard Analysis Software, and Safety Management and Administrative Controls Software.
Ten Software Quality Work Activities
Listing of the ten software quality work activities that are to be performed using a graded approach.
Graded Approach to SQA
DOE G 414.1-4 provides a graded implementation strategy for the 10 software quality work activities. The graded approach identifies activities and sub-activities that can be implemented at varying levels of rigor based upon the potential impact on safety and the type of software type.
The Central Registry and DOE/EH Toolbox Codes
The Central Registry provides information about DOE toolbox codes. These codes are routinely used by DOE to perform calculations and develop data used to establish the safety basis for DOE facilities and operations, and to support the variety of safety analyses and safety evaluations developed for these facilities.
Why the SQA Order and Guide Were Developed
The history of activities leading up to the development of DOE's SQA Order and Guide.
DOE's Software Quality Assurance Knowledge Portal
Includes additional information on DOE’s SQA requirements, the Central Registry for toolbox codes, and related SQA work by DOE/EH.