Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: d6326081-f430-476d-8098-4edf00868dd9
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Verification, Validation, Reviews, and Audits for Digital Computer Software Used in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants + HISTORY - HISTORY 08/2012 – DG-1267 , Proposed Revision 2 01/2003 – DG-1123 , Proposed Revision 1 08/1996 – DG-1054 , Proposed Revision 0 (Rev. 2)
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 1
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1031/ML103160431.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-1.168
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
als for computer-based safety systems is predicated on deterministic criteria for the computer system in its entirety (i.e., hardware, system software, firmware, application, and interconnections). 3. Independence of Software Verification and Validation Criterion I requires that persons and organizations performing quality assurance functions report to a management level such that sufficient authority and organizational freedom exist, including sufficient independence from cost and schedule limitations. Quality assurance functions include verifying, such as by checking, auditing, and inspecting, that activities affecting the safety related functions have been correctly performed. Criterion III imposes an independence requirement for the verification and checking of the adequacy of the design, requiring that those who perform the verification and checking be persons other than the designers. DG-1267, Page 7 Accordingly, any organization with reviewers performing the verification function, should not be part of the design organization’s development effort, and should utilize an independent organizational structure with regard to technical, financial and managerial independence of its reviewers that is not subject to the budgetary and scheduling constraints of the design organization or project management function. In pursuant of this concept, the mapping of an organizational model should show the staff reviewers independent and exclusive to the tasking areas. The Figure F.1 in Annex F of IEEE Std. 1012- 2004 is acceptable to the NRC, however this only applies to the tasking areas in the top three relationship boxes: “Acquire Program Management,” “V&V Effort,” and “Development Effort.” As per this regulatory guidance, the bottom three “Staff” boxes and relationship lines are excluded. Regardless of the approach selected for a given V&V task, the applicant or licensee has ultimate responsibility for the adequacy of V&V and the quality of subsequent