Acceptable quality level A measure of the number of failures that a production process is allowed. Usually expressed as a percentage.

Acceptance Agreement to take a product or service as offered.

Ambient temperature The temperature of the air measured under standardised conditions and with certain recognised precautions against errors introduced by radiation from the sun or other heated body.

Application environment The overall environment in which the equipment is designed to operate, be stored or transported within.

Approval of a distributor Recognition that a distributor has a competent organisation for the storage, repacking, distribution and release of particular components in accordance with BS CECC or IECQ.

Approval of an independent assessor (of electronic components) Recognition that an assessor has a competent organisation for the purchase, assessment, storage, repacking, distribution and release of unencapsulated components for incorporation into components covered by a BS 9000, CECC or IECQ generic specification.

Approval of an independent test laboratory (of electronic components) Recognition that a test laboratory has a competent organisation for the inspection and release of components in accordance with BS 9000, CECC or IECQ.

Approval of a manufacturer (of electronic components) Recognition that a manufacturer has a competent organisation for the production and inspection of particular components in accordance with BS 9000, CECC or IECQ.

Assessment procedures A procedure used by Competent Authorities and Competent Bodies for assessment of equipment conformity against harmonised standards.

Batch A quantity of some commodity that has been manufactured or produced under uniform conditions.

Basic assessment (of electronic components) The lowest level of assessment recognised by the BS 9000 system. Obtained by performing a series of minimum mandatory tests for basic assessment.

Basic specification A specification that is applicable to all electronic components or to a large group of electronic components.

Blank detail specification A pro-forma document which is derived from the requirements of a generic and/or sectional specification. When completed this becomes the detail specification for that particular component.

Bonded store A secure place in which only supplies that have been accepted as satisfactory by the inspection staff are held.

Calibration The operation that is required to determine the accuracy of measuring and test equipment.

Capability approval Approval that is granted to a manufacturer when they have demonstrated that their declared design capability, manufacturing processes and quality control meets the requirements of the relevant generic specification.

Capability qualifying components A group of components and/or test pieces which are collectively used to demonstrate that the declared capability meets the requirements that have been specified in the generic specification.

CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) European equivalent of ISO.

CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation) Certification Body An impartial body which has the necessary competence and reliability to operate a certification scheme.

Certification system A system for carrying out conformity certification.

Certificate of conformity A document stating that, at the time of the assessment, the product or service met the stated requirements.

Certified test record A summary of the results of specified tests that have been carried out on components that were released over the last six month production period.

Characteristic A property that helps to distinguish between items of a given population.

Chief inspector An individual who is responsible for the manufacturer’s Quality Management System (also referred to as the Quality Manager).

Company Term used primarily to refer to a business first party, the purpose of which is to supply a product or service.

Competent authorities As defined by Council Directive 98/336 refer to those bodies represented by the national administrations, which are responsible for the application of the relevant obligations.

Competent bodies Those bodies which meet the criteria listed in Council Directive 98/336 and which are responsible for issuing the technical reports or certificates in accordance with the second procedure described in the Assessment Procedures.

Compliance The fulfilment of a Quality Management System or quality procedure of specified retirements.

Concession Written authorisation to use or release a quantity of material, components or stores already produced but which do not conform to the specified requirements.

Configuration The complete technical description that is required to make, test, equip, install, operate, maintain and logistically support a product.

Conformance The fulfilment of a product or service of specified requirements.

Contractor assessment The formal examination by a National Quality Assurance Authority to determine the ability of a contractor or potential contractor to meet requirements.

Consignment Products (or goods) that are issued or received as one delivery and covered by one set of documents.

Corrective maintenance The maintenance that is carried out after a failure has occurred and which is intended to restore the item to a state where it can perform its original function.

Customer Ultimate consumer, user, client, beneficiary or second party.

Delivery lot A quantity of components that are delivered at the same time.

Design authority The approved firm, establishment or branch representative responsible for the detailed design of material to approved specifications and authorised to sign a certificate of design, or to certify sealed drawings.

Design capability The ability of a manufacturer to translate a customer requirement into a component that can be manufactured by their particular technology.

Design review A formal, documented, comprehensive and systematic examination of a design to evaluate the design requirements and the capability of the design to meet these requirements and to identify problems and propose solutions.

Deviation permit Written authorisation, prior to production or before provision of a service, to depart from specified requirements for a specified quantity or for a specified time.

Direct surveillance Surveillance carried out on premises that come under the direct control of the chief inspector by reason of his appointment.

Distributor An organisation that is contractually authorised by one or more manufacturers to store, repack and sell completely finished components from these manufacturers.

Detail specification A specification which is derived from a generic or sectional specification, which covers and describes a particular component or a recognised range of components.

Economic quality The economic level of quality at which the cost of obtaining higher quality would exceed the benefits of the improved quality.

Effect The non-fulfilment of intended usage requirements.

Electronic component A device that is part of an electronic circuit and that has a distinctive function in that electronic circuit.

Endurance test A test in which an item is subjected to a specified stress (or stresses) over a specified period of time, or number of operations, or both.

Evaluation The systematic examination of the effectiveness of a contractor’s Quality Management System.

Environment All of the external physical conditions that may influence the performance of a product or service.

Environmental condition The characteristics (such as humidity, pressure, vibration, etc.) of the environment in which the product is operating.

Environmental stress The stress to which a product is exposed that is solely due to its presence in an environment.

Facilities The tools, materials, supplies, instruments, equipment and other resources that are available to manufacture a product or perform a service.

Fail safe A designed property of a product that prevents any failures becoming critical failures.

Failure tree analysis (FTA) The study, with the use of diagrammatic algorithms, of the possible sequence of events leading up to the failure of a product.

Final inspection The last inspection by a manufacturer or supplier before delivery.

Firmware Computer logic that is either hardwired or in a state that cannot be readily modified.

Full assessment A degree of quality assessment that is higher than basic assessment level. Obtained by tighter inspection levels, tighter acceptable quality levels and more stringent tests.

Functional specification A document that describes, in detail, the characteristics of the product with regard to its intended capability.

Functional stress The stress to which a product is exposed that is solely due to its intended function.

Generic specification A specification that is applicable to a family or subfamily of electronic components.

Grade An indicator of category or rank related to features or characteristics that cover different sets of needs for products or services intended for the same functional use.

Graded standard Defines the particular grade of an item of material or product for a particular application.

In-progress-inspections QA Inspectors perform these on a random basis or while assisting the technician. They may also be considered as ‘training’ inspections and are meant to help the technician perform better maintenance whilst actually learning about the equipment.

Independent test laboratory An organisation that has the facilities and capability to carry out tests and measurements on electronic components in accordance with the relevant specification, and which does not form part of the manufacturing organisation producing these components.

Inspection Activities such as measuring, examining, testing, gauging one or more characteristics of a product or service and comparing these with specified requirements to determine conformity.

Inspection by attributes Inspection whereby certain characteristics of an item are assessed, without measurement, as either conforming or not conforming to the requirements of the product or service.

Inspection by variables Inspection whereby certain characteristics of an item are evaluated against a numerical scale and are expressed as points along that scale.

Inspection lot A collection of components or ‘units’ from which a sample is taken and inspected to determine conformance with the acceptability criteria.

Inspection system The established management structure, responsibilities, methods, resources that together provide inspection.

Interchangeability Versions of the same component type covered by a detail specification.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Comprises the national standards bodies of more than 50 countries whose aim is to co-ordinate the international harmonisation of national standards.

Lot A quantity of some commodity that has been manufactured or produced under uniform conditions.

Maintenance The combination of technical and administrative actions that are taken to retain or restore an item to a state in which it can perform its stated function.

Manufacturer An organisation, which carries out or controls such stages in the manufacture of electronic components that enable it to accept responsibility for capability approval or qualification approval, inspection and release of electronic components.

Manufacturers’ specification The specification that a Manufacturer has agreed to meet at all costs and that has been accepted by the Design Authority as being sufficient to meet the User Requirement.

Material A generic term covering equipment, stores, supplies and spares which form the subject of a contract.

Minimum mandatory requirements A list of the essential parameters and characteristics for which values or requirements have to be given in the detail specification.

National Supervising Inspectorate (NSI) The authority that is responsible for completing an initial appraisal of inspection organisations, test laboratories, distributors and assessors, and the supervision of their operations subsequent to approval.

Non-conformity The non-fulfilment of specified requirements.

Non-standard item An item which authorities have agreed not to make a standard item.

Notified bodies Are those bodies which meet the criteria listed in Council Directive 98/336 and which are responsible for issuing the EC type examination certification in accordance with the third procedure described in the Assessment Procedures.

Operational cycle A repeatable sequence of functional stresses.

Operational requirements All the function and performance requirements of a product.

Operating temperature range The specified operating temperature for the equipment which must always be the lowest and the highest ambient temperature expected to be experienced by the equipment during its normal operation.

Organisation A company, corporation, firm or enterprise, whether incorporated or not, public or private.

Outgoing inspections These are performed after a job or task has been completed to verify that everything has been done correctly on a repaired equipment that is ready for return to the Customer. The QA Inspector is normally required to check the item to see how it compares against the manufacturer’s specification. Any item failing an outgoing inspection has to be returned to the Technician or his Section Chief for corrective action. It will then be subject to a further outgoing inspection by the QA Inspector. Where possible these inspections should be carried out on all equipment leaving the Workshop.

Pre-inspections This is an inspection for any obvious or physical damage such as broken meter glasses, knobs, bad dents to the case, broken fuseholders, disconnected wires, etc. Where possible pre-inspections should be carried out on every equipment entering the Workshop.

Preventive maintenance The maintenance that is carried out at predetermined intervals and is intended to reduce the probability of a failure occurring.

Process average (estimated) The average percentage defective or average number of faults per 100 items.

Product liability A generic term used to describe the onus on a producer or others to make restitution for loss related to personal injury, property damage or other harm caused by a product or service.

Production lot A quantity of components that have been manufactured continuously within a given period of time under uniform conditions.

Production permit Written authorisation, prior to production or before provision of a service, to depart from specified requirements for a specified quantity or for a specified time.

Qualification approval The status given to a manufacturer’s product unit, whose product has been shown to meet all the requirements of the product detail specification and Quality Plan.

Qualification approval certificate A certificate that is issued to a component manufacturer that confirms qualification approval in respect of a specific electronic component or range of components.

Qualified products list A list that is maintained by BSI and published as PD 9002 of all components that have been given qualification approval under the BS 9000 system. This includes names and addresses of the manufacturers, manufacturer’s identification code, lists manufacturers who have capability approval together with a description of the capability. The CECC also maintains and publishes a qualified products list in their CECC 00200 series.

Quality The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear upon its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.

Quality Assurance All those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a product or service will satisfy given requirements for quality.

Quality Assurance representative The authorised representative of the National QA authority designated in the contract.

Quality audit A systematic and independent examination to determine whether quality activities and related results comply with planned arrangements and whether these arrangements are implemented effectively and are suitable to achieve objectives.

Quality control The operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfil requirements for quality.

Quality control system The established management structure, responsibilities, methods and resources that together provide quality control to demonstrate the attainment of quality.

Quality conformance inspection Measures that are demanded in the specification to show that the components produced by a manufacturer fulfil the requirements of a particular specification.

Quality level A general indication of the extent of the products departure from the ideal.

Quality manual A document setting out the general quality policies, procedures and practices of an organisation.

Quality manager A person who is responsible for the manufacturer’s Quality Management System (also referred to as the Chief Inspector).

Quality loop Conceptual model of interacting activities that influence the quality of a product or service in the various stages ranging from the identification of needs to the assessment of whether these needs have been satisfied.

Quality management That aspect of the overall management function that determines and implements the quality policy.

Quality plan A document setting out the specific quality practices, resources and sequence of activities relevant to a particular product, service, contract or project.

Quality policy The overall quality intentions and direction of an organisation as regards quality, as formally expressed by top management.

Quality programme A documented set of activities, resources and procedures which implement the organisation’s Quality Management System.

Quality spiral Conceptual model of interacting activities that influence the quality of a product or service in the various stages ranging from the identification of needs to the assessment of whether these needs have been satisfied.

Quality management system The organisational structure, responsibilities, procedures, processes and resources for implementing quality management.

Quality management system review A formal evaluation by top management of the status and adequacy of the Quality Management System in relation to quality policy and new objectives resulting from changing circumstances.

Quality surveillance The continuing monitoring and verification of the status of procedures, methods, conditions, processes, products and services, and analysis of records in relation to stated references to ensure that specified requirements for quality are being met.

Quality verification inspections These are performed prior to, during and after the job or task has been concluded. They are sometimes referred to as Pre-inspections, In-progress-inspections and Outgoing-inspections.

Quarantine store A secure place to store supplies that are awaiting proof that they comply with specified requirements.

Ratification Formal acceptance of a NATO document (e.g. STANAG) as national implementing document.

Redundancy The existence, in a product, of more than one means of performing a function.

Reliability The ability of an item to perform a required function under stated conditions for a stated period of time.

Related documents Documents referred to in a standard that form part of that standard.

Requirements of society Requirements including laws, statutes, rules and regulations, codes, environmental considerations, health and safety factors, and conservation of energy and materials.

Safety The freedom from unacceptable risks of personal harm.

Sample An item (or group of items) that have been taken from a larger collection (or population) of items to provide information relevant to that collection or population.

Sampling scheme The overall system containing a range of sampling plans and procedures.

Sampling plan An indication of the sample sizes and the acceptance/rejection criteria.

Sampling procedure The operational requirements and instructions relating to the use of particular sampling plans or schemes.

Sampling size The number of specimens in a sample.

Scheme of surveillance A system to ensure that the quality of the product meets the requirements of the relevant specification.

Screening test A test or combination of tests, intended to remove unsatisfactory items, or those likely to exhibit early failure.

Sealed pattern A specimen electronic component that is taken from a lot which has successfully passed the qualification approval process and which is kept for subsequent reference.

Section A part of a Workshop carrying out a repair on a general type or style of equipment. A number of sections (e.g. HF Radio, Relay, Microwave, Fabrication and Ground Power) make up a Workshop.

Section chief Responsible for ensuring that all aspects relating to safety, quality, workmanship and in-house training are active and every Technician under his supervision is aware of their required performance. Section chiefs are also responsible for Pre-inspections if not already performed by the QA Inspector. The quality control of maintenance performed in their respective work area. Co-operation with the QA Inspector to assure that only quality maintenance is done. It is essential that section chiefs and QA personnel maintain a friendly and cooperative attitude to each other. If difficulties arise that cannot be resolved between them then the matter should be brought directly to the notice of the Workshops Superintendent.

Service liability A generic term used to describe the onus on a producer or others to make restitution for loss related to personal injury, property damage or other harm caused by a product or service.

Software Covers all instructions and data which are input to a computer to cause it to function in any mode. This includes operating systems, supervisory systems, compilers and test routines, as well as application programmes. The words embrace the documents used to define and describe the programmes (including flow charts, network diagrams and programme listings), and also cover specifications, test plans, test data, test results and user instructions.

Specification The document that describes the requirements with which the product, material or process has to conform.

Specimen A representative item or quantity of material.

Standard The result of a particular standardisation effort that has been approved by a recognised authority. When this word – in capital letters – appears in relation to a clause, letter or form, it means that the wording shall not be altered.

Standardisation The process of formulating and applying rules for the benefit of all concerned.

Standard item An item which authorities agree should be used in preference to all others.

Statistical quality control That part of quality control in which statistical methods are used.

Statistical quality control chart A method used to ensure that the performance of a product is maintained during manufacture whereby samples of the production (or process) are regularly analysed against a control chart that has the upper and lower permissible limits for that particular product or process already plotted.

Stress cycle A repeatable sequence of stresses.

Storage life The specified length of time prior to use for which items (which are known to be subject to deterioration) are deemed to remain fit for use.

Storage temperature range The specified storage temperature that is always the lowest and the highest ambient temperature that the equipment is expected to experience (with the power turned off) during storage or from exposure to climatic extremes.

Structurally similar electronic component Components which are made in one factory using virtually the same design, material, process and method of fabrication.

Supervising inspector An inspector acting on behalf of the National Supervising Inspectorate.

Supplier evaluation Assessment of a supplier’s capability to control quality.

Supplier rating An index related to the performance of a supplier.

System review The contractor’s independent examination of the effectiveness of their system.

Technician An individual who is responsible for the actual maintenance modification or repair of an item of equipment or product.

Test A critical trial or examination of one (or more) of the properties/characteristics of a material, product or service.

Test plan A management document which addresses all aspects related to the test. It should include the test schedule and define the necessary support tools.

Test procedure A document that describes each step that is necessary to conduct a test. The steps shall be in sequence with all the inputs and outputs defined.

Test specification Describes the test criteria and the methods to be used in a specific test to assure that the performance and design specifications have been specified. The test specification identifies the capabilities or programme functions to be tested and identifies the test environment.

Traceability The ability to trace the history, application or location of an item or activity, or similar items or activities, by means of recorded identification.

Type approval The status given to a design that has been shown by type tests to meet all the requirements of the product specification and which is suitable for a specific application.

User requirement The documented product or service requirements of a customer or user.

Variable A characteristic that is appraised in terms of values on a continuous scale.

Vendor appraisal Assessment of a potential supplier’s capability of controlling quality.

Walk through A review process in which the designer or programmer leads one or more other members of the development team through a segment of design or code that he or she has written, while the other members ask questions and make comments about technique, style, possible errors, violation of development standards and other problems.

Waiver Written authorisation to use or release a quantity of material components or stores already produced but which do not conform to the specified requirements.

Workmanship The level of the art or skill used in the repair process or manufacturing process as demonstrated by the characteristics of the product which cannot be specified in measurable terms.

Workshop superintendent Is responsible both for co-ordinating all aspects of Workshop activity and for determining that sufficient procedures and equipment are available to do the required task.