October 31, 2003, Department letter reporting completion of Commitment 4.4.2 in implementation plan 2002-1, Quality Assurance for Safety-Related Software, which requires the identification of methods for capturing and communicating SQA lessons learned

[DOE LETTERHEAD]

October 31, 2003

The Honorable John T. Conway

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20004-2941

Dear Mr. Chairman:

This letter is to inform you that Commitment 4.4.2 in the Implementation Plan for Software Quality Assurance (SQA) in response to Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Recommendation 2002- 1 has been completed.

Commitment 4.4.2 is to identify methods for capturing and clearly communicating SQA lessons learned, new technology, innovative techniques, and areas in software development in which research and development is needed to ensure software quality.

At the suggestion of the Software Quality Assurance Subcommittee (SQAS) membership participating in the September meeting in Kansas City, a list server maintained by the Office of Environment, Safety and Health is now being used to communicate SQA lessons learned throughout the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. The SQA list server has been populated with the SQAS members, the SQA Implementation Plan subject matter expert (SME) panel, and the Office of Quality Assurance Programs staff.

Subscription to the SQA list server is available to Federal and contractor personnel involved with SQA. The SQA list server will be used to facilitate information sharing during the conduct of the upcoming safety software assessments.

In addition to the SQA list server, other actions have been initiated to ensure that SQA lessons learned are captured and communicated.

1. With establishment of the SME panel, we have another mechanism to identify and address major software issues that have crosscutting impact for DOE. The SME panel also provides a forum for sharing ideas and proven processes or programs to both DOE and contractor management.

2. Occurrence Reporting will continue to provide an established mechanism to collect, analyze, and communicate software events that may occur across the DOE complex.

3. The Central Registry web site assists users in toolbox code configuration control, provides a mechanism to distribute SQA information, and serves as a point-of-contact for resolving user issues.

Questions concerning this commitment and SQA list server subscription requests may be directed to Chip Lagdon at (301) 903-4218 or me at (301) 903-8008.

Sincerely,

Frank B. Russo

Deputy Assistant Secretary

Office of Corporate Performance Assessment

cc: Beverly A. Cook, EH- 1

Mark B. Whitaker, DR- 1

Chip Lagdon, EH-31