DWC flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Verification

Objective confirmation that specified requirements have been met, answering whether the item was built correctly according to the stated requirement, typically by inspection, analysis, demonstration, or test.

Validation

Confirmation that the delivered item fulfils its intended use or the user's needs, answering whether the correct item was built, usually assessed under actual or simulated operating conditions.

Quality assurance versus quality control

Assurance is preventive and process-oriented, building quality into how work is done; control is detective and product-oriented, measuring outputs against acceptance criteria after the fact.

Corrective action

Action taken to eliminate the cause of an already detected nonconformity so that it does not recur; it is distinct from containment, which only stops the immediate effect.

Preventive action

Action taken to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity or other undesirable situation before it occurs, usually triggered by trend analysis rather than an actual failure.

Shall versus should

In normative documents, shall marks a mandatory requirement subject to audit, should marks a recommendation where alternatives are permitted, and may marks a permissible option.

Residual risk

The risk that remains after existing controls have been applied; it is compared with the documented acceptability criterion to decide whether further treatment is required.

SMART requirement

A requirement framed as Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound so that it is singular, unambiguous, and verifiable by a defined method.

Requirement traceability matrix

A cross-reference table linking each requirement to its design element, realisation activity, verification method, and acceptance record, proving full coverage and exposing orphans.

Work breakdown structure

A hierarchical decomposition of total scope into manageable deliverable-oriented elements, governed by the 100% rule that children must sum exactly to the parent's scope.

Critical path

The longest total duration path through the activity network, which fixes the shortest possible project duration; every activity on it has zero total float.

Total float

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish, calculated as Late Start minus Early Start or Late Finish minus Early Finish.

Baseline

The approved and version-controlled reference set for scope, schedule, or cost, against which performance is measured and which changes only through formal change control.

Design review gate

A formal checkpoint at which a design is assessed against defined exit criteria, and approval is recorded before work is released into the next phase.

PDCA cycle

Plan, Do, Check, Act: an iterative improvement loop that sets objectives, implements the process, measures results against objectives, and standardises or corrects accordingly.

Change control board

A designated body that reviews change requests for impact on scope, schedule, cost, risk, and compliance, then approves, rejects, or defers them and authorises baseline updates.

Process capability index Cpk

Cpk equals the minimum of (upper limit minus mean) or (mean minus lower limit), divided by three sigma; it accounts for mean off-centre and never exceeds Cp.

RACI matrix

A responsibility assignment grid marking who is Responsible for doing work, Accountable for the outcome with exactly one per activity, Consulted for input, and Informed of progress.

Leading versus lagging indicator

Leading indicators measure upstream conditions that predict future results, such as open corrective actions; lagging indicators report outcomes already realised, such as incident counts.

Special cause variation

Variation attributable to a specific assignable event rather than inherent process noise; it produces control chart signals and demands investigation of that occurrence, not process redesign.

Hierarchy of controls

A ranking of risk controls by effectiveness: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment as the least effective last resort.

Lockout tagout

An energy isolation procedure requiring isolation of the energy source, application of a lock and tag, release of stored energy, and verified zero energy state before work begins.

Near miss

An unplanned event that did not cause injury or damage but had genuine potential to do so, and is reported to expose failed or missing controls.

ALARP

As low as reasonably practicable: a test requiring risk to be reduced further unless the cost or difficulty of additional control is grossly disproportionate to the benefit gained.

Permit to work

A documented authorisation for a defined high-hazard task, valid for a stated location and period, recording the specified precautions, isolations, and signatures of issuer and receiver.

Compliance obligations register

A maintained list of every applicable legal and regulatory obligation, recording its source, accountable owner, evidence of fulfilment, and scheduled review date.

Document control

The system that assigns each controlled document a unique identifier, revision status, approval, effective date, and distribution, and withdraws superseded versions from use.

Record

Retained evidence that an activity was performed or a result obtained; unlike a document it is not revised, only corrected by an annotated, attributable addendum.

Nonconformance report

A record describing a failure to meet a specified requirement, its containment, its disposition such as rework, repair, concession, or reject, and the corrective action required.

Hold point

A stage in an inspection and test plan at which work must not proceed until the designated inspection has been performed and documented approval has been issued.

Five Whys

A root cause technique that repeatedly asks why a condition occurred, typically about five times, to move from the symptom to the underlying systemic cause.

ALCOA principles

Data integrity criteria for records: Attributable to a person, Legible, Contemporaneous at the time of activity, Original rather than a copy, and Accurate to the observation.