The test suites are available athttp://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html. 0000007885 00000 n When all deviations and omissions are eliminated, the implementation conforms to the specification. Two sets of test suites were built, one for DOM with an ECMAScript binding and the other with a Java binding. PFi@("$0 (JDbyHA': F$%BIPAl4FP'aFYlO2f)m8c4&3 o7q$e9(#yd: A good specification should do four things: (1) Identify minimum requirements, (2) allow for a competitive bid, (3) list reproducible test methods to be used in testing for compliance with specifications, and (4) provide for an equitable award at the lowest possible cost. Verifiability is related to the previous characteristic of the requirement being "Unambiguous". quotation request Its use will not be permitted unless only one specifications; brand-name-or-equal specifications; design The following are illustrative examples. Click here for Terms & Conditions. Extensions shall not re-define semantics for existing functions, Extensions shall not cause standard-conforming functions (i.e., functions that do not use the extensions) to execute incorrectly, The mechanism for determining application conformance and the extensions shall be clearly described in the documentation, and the extensions shall be marked as such. Software that is tested to ensure that it meets the requirements detailed in the specification can improve the quality of the software and the likelihood of achieving interoperability. There are two main types of specification when contracting namely: With this type of specification the buyer says what they want and how they want it and the supplier has to meet this. However, these methodologies all follow the same basic strategy - falsification testing; and the same basic process - analyze the specification for test assertions or test requirements, write a test purpose for each test, and create and document a test case which realizes each test purpose. Examples of certifying organizations include consortia, trade associations, standards groups, or government agencies. Depending on the type of specification (e.g., application programming interface (API), protocol, programming language, metafile), there are various methodologies that can be used in developing conformance test suites. In the marketplace, conformance test suites and consequently conformance testing provides a vehicle for exchanging information between buyer and seller. In 1991, ISO/IEC DIS 10641 defined conformance testing as "test to evaluate the adherence or non-adherence of a candidate implementation to a standard." DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS: Design Often times, errors or ambiguities in the specification are discovered. Conformance testing is NOT a way to judge if one product is better than another. Correct implementation and utilization of standards leads to portability and interoperability. It would then be up to a purchaser to decide the criteria (how many or what kinds of errors) it wishes to use to make implementations eligible for purchase. When does a buyer ask the supplier for a CoC? Contracting officers must assess the adequacy and applicability of any standards, specifications, including client-developed specifications, or purchase descriptions included by a client in the requisition. competitors that can supply the product, the department head has How many times have you looked at this afore mentioned specification and instantly picked holes in the acheivabilty of the desired outcome? requirements of the item being purchased. 1. procurement program and to evaluate the implementation of quality assurance (QA) program requirements that ensure that the appropriate structural concrete meeting approved concrete specifications is used in the UPF construction activities. purchased under indefinite quantity term contracts and definite There are 2 main & simple types of specification, Sharing specification sheet that stats needed item details like (materials, dimension, tolerance, weight & others). Ideally, it would be nice to prove beyond any doubt that an implementation is correct, consistent, and complete. Does it come from a particularly influential stake-holder? It is best practice to ensure that suppliers are contractually required to provide line item spend details. What does it mean to have a conformance clause? more interested in how it performs, how well it performs, and at On the other hand, the policy might be that a certificate is issued (or a claim of conformance is made) only if no errors are found. Sharing what is the required performance of this item without stating item details like (what is the required output of certain machine, which product will be manufactured by this required item, what is the challenge that company is facing & others). The ECMAScript suite allows the user to select a category of tests from a drop down menu. [Importers Guide], What is a certificate of conformity (CoC). at least two brand names that will satisfy the Some importers choose to purchase components for their new products that are already certified to avoid needing to go through the testing and certification process. Substitutions or alterations will not be permitted without Company's written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed. FCC (47 CFR Section 2.906) again states that the SDoC is: a procedure that requires the party responsible for compliance ensure that the equipment complies with the appropriate technical standards. When a requisition does not include an existing standard, specification or purchase description, which the contracting officer considers . It, in turn, refers to other parts of the standard. compliance with specifications, and (4) provide for an equitable A good conformance clause is the ultimate goal of these guidelines, and is sanctioned by conformance to this specification. this specification is used, tangible performance, quality establish a QPL must list the products that have been should be put on notice that the criteria used to define Since the purposes for 0000002442 00000 n %PDF-1.2 A buyer would typically ask for a CoC on products/components that are critical or high risk. Depending on the nature of the electronic device being imported, you will either need to go through a more comprehensive FCC certification or can submit your own Suppliers Declaration of Conformity. Lets look at the difference between the two: For RF Devices with the greatest potential to cause harmful interference to radio services like smartphones, Bluetooth speakers, earbuds, etc, that emit radiation a self-declaration is not acceptable to comply with FCC regulations and they must be certified by an FCC-recognized Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) based on an evaluation of the supporting documentation and test data submitted by the responsible party (e.g., the manufacturer or importer) to the TCB. It is the basis of all offers and therefore the foundation for a contract. Requirements Work that matches what was requested in requirements. These assertions are statements of functionality or behavior derived from the standard, and which are true for conforming implementations. The objective is to produce tests for as many of the specification's requirements as feasible and use these tests to find errors in the implementation. Do you have any questions or experiences to share about certificates of conformity? specifications, and ensuring clarity of language with jargon or Elements that should typically be included in a CoC are: On the US CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) website, one can find several samples of CoCs. The process for developing conformance test suites begins with defining the set of test assertions (TA) upon which the test suite is based. I like the point about cost only .. Some standards have subsequent documentation for the test methodology and assertions to be tested. this sense means that the specification concentrates on how the Another alternative is the requirement that 0000069347 00000 n 20899 USA, Email: lisa.carnahan [at] nist.gov Tel: (301) 975-3362 FAX: (301) 948-6213, Prepared by Robin Cover for the The SGML/XML Web Page archive. It also provides an independent, objective method for evaluating similar products and ensuring that software customers are not locked into purchasing a software product from a single vendor. Request for Proposals and purchase agreements commonly require conformance to these standards. Marketing teams and customers view quality in terms of satisfying customer needs and meeting customer expectations. 0000010532 00000 n Conformance Test Suites for XML Technologies. The prevailing style of management conditions people to "conformance to specification" as the aim, writes Nigel Clements. 6 What makes a good specification in procurement? legitimate needs. A good specification should do four things: (1) Identify minimum requirements, (2) allow for a competitive bid, (3) list reproducible test methods to be used in testing for compliance with specifications, and (4) provide for an equitable award at the lowest possible cost. Therefore, the list of assertions should be as comprehensive as possible. For ensure testability of a specification/standard, care should be taken in the wording of the specifications itself. The meaning of the words "shall," "should," and "may," in the context of the given standard, could be defined in the conformance clause or be as defined by organizations such as ISO. Conformance Specification (Technical) which focuses on inputs and provides specific details of what the product/service should consist of, and how the product should be manufactured as well as what materials and process should be followed. But what are specifications? Its use is called for where a structure or The final test suite is expected to be complete by March 2001. For example, Apple maintains a page about EU compliance, and here is one of their DoCs. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 1.2 Upon request by the Owner, the Manufacturer at its expense shall provide proof of conformance with any or all requirements of this specification. BRAND-NAME-OR-EQUAL SPECIFICATIONS: A 0000003290 00000 n by vendors to add products to the QPL. To this end, A lock ( This reflects the thinking of the "IOR School" (Insti- tute for Operational Research). prepare all specifications. XML Test Suite is available from the NIST web site, http://xw2k.nist.gov/xml/index.html. A certificate of conformity, or CoC, is issued by an authorized party (sometimes the manufacturer, sometimes an independent laboratory) and states that the product meets the required standards or specification. Early stage specifications can be seen as part of the review with the customer (internal or external) about what they are looking to achieve on the project. The problem here however is the chance that the person who raised the requisition may well change their mind or refine the specification as quotes begin to arrive. Official websites use .gov Some standards have no official testing organizations. Not all specifications or standards need a testing program. Lets take an example. Give examples of conformance specification. This button displays the currently selected search type. Performance responsibilities focus on strategy, value creation and resource utilization whereas conformance responsibilities focus on providing assurance to stakeholders that the organization . Some recent standards include, as official parts of the standard, lists of assertions. A standard may classify features as "mandatory" vs. "optional," and provide a table listing features so classified. ISO/IEC TR 13233 defined conformance and conformity as "fulfillment by a product, process or service of all relevant specified conformance requirements." and others may require laboratory tests. specifications customarily employ dimensional and other physical j.h8 looking at the above simple example that both requisitions are asking for something (A utensil to eat with) but they are defining vastly different attributes. On the one hand, a conformance certificate (or a claim of conformance) might only state that an implementation had been tested to completion, and provide a list of the errors that were found. 0000001477 00000 n Bidders offering an equal Well explain what a CoC is, what its used for, and what it includes. The other approach adopts the weaker overall requirement that, while extensions are allowed, an implementation must perform all the functionality in the specifications exactly as specified. to a single product and is the most restrictive kind of The rationale for this is to be able to acknowledge all the implementations tested, but "reward" those implementations that "get it 100% correct". Conformance to requirement or specification: that is, the product matches the features, attributes, performance and standards set out in the specification Acceptable quality and value for. represents the kind of thinking in which architects and engineers An example would be a recipe for a food . There must be sufficient basis to determine that these Conformance involves two major components: (1) a test tool and (2) a testing program (e.g., certification or branding). sizable latitude in how to accomplish the end purpose. And, in some cases, specific documents are required for certification or to show the end user/customer, that the product is safe. The CoC is sometimes called Certificate of Conformance or Certificate of Compliance. 0000008579 00000 n These criteria and The test procedures define the administrative as well as the technical process for testing an implementation. Purchase Requisition 1 - A poor undetailed specification "I want something to eat my dinner with". The alternative is falsification testing, which subjects an implementation to various combinations of legal and illegal inputs, and compares the resulting output to a set of corresponding "expected results." Extensions shall follow the principles and guidelines of the standard they extend, that is, the specifications must be extended in a standard manner. It is also possible that implementations may not be able to implement all the features. 3. For example, some testing programs may require a very formal testing and certification approach using an independent (i.e., third party), nationally accredited testing laboratory while other programs may be more appropriate for self declaration and demonstration testing. The decision to establish a program is based on the risk of nonconformance versus the costs of creating and running a program. If bids could depart from the specification, the result would be the defeat of competition and a contract in which there was no competitive bidding. << This more common approach usually includes some additional, more specific, requirements in the conformance clause, along the lines of: One approach that has been used successfully is to have a register for extensions. Typically, a design conforms to requirements and work products conform to both design and requirements. A profile is a subset of the overall specifications that includes all of the functionality necessary to satisfy the requirements of a particular community of users. A specification becomes an essential contract management document which is used to ensure that the chosen supplier provides what is specified. Sample 1 Sample 2 The test suite will focus on XSL transformations (XSLT) and XML Path Language (XPath). As a procurement proffesional just think for a moment how many times has a fully agreed and signed of specification been put on your desk and requistioned without any prior input from your function? It assumes responsibility for insuring that the components of the program are in place and becomes the centralized source for information about the program. ^O{f 0jlrG11lgjcBR8LLQ4Ms7Irl;%oOA?CECpd@{m1MS]81W_4;O,Wmw@:5(h1f up/}u,2 Et8ALC%Z7 #fc[,:RC oA_"IFWS.fL' rx0!% ^r2;u,{0rd@Ty !A34AEnKZX+1 n/o Define conformance specification. R3XF5h{o9gkz1p!i[$KQt?I$o:hdSisA4e3Dm9,Hhj4@`h$&!!r" BH$@4$"Jz"H,*Mc18/,1 #c7n~ "/[#J