Technical certification of test tools/automatic test equipment (ATE)

The authors describe a generic process for the certification of custom-made, user modified and off-the-shelf tools including automatic test equipment (ATE) and development tools. A standardized, comprehensive tool certification procedure was developed. This procedure includes participation with many varied groups from conception of the tool through final acceptance and its subsequent use. The major areas of the procedure are addressed. The use of this comprehensive tool certification by an independent software quality engineering group has interdicted tool errors that conceivably could have caused failure in software/systems tests or allowed faulty deliverable hardware items to pass and be integrated into final systems. The procedure also mandates correct configuration control of tool software and hardware. This procedure encourages total quality management (TQM). It has been shown to inspire better customer confidence in the test tools and the whole testing process chain.<>