Software Quality : A Modelling and Measurement View

Abstract

In order to deal with the concept of software quality, we need deal with such issues as quality definition, process selection, evaluation, and organization. In order to develop a “quality” object, we need to define the various qualities and quality goals operationally relative to the project and the organization. It is clear that there are a large number of qualities or characteristics that a product may possess and different projects will prioritize these qualities differently. Once we have defined the kind and level of qualities we want, we need to find criteria for selecting the appropriate methods and tools and tailoring them to the needs of the project and the organization in order to achieve these quality characteristics. This implies we may be interested in the quality of the processes as well as the quality of the product. We need to evaluate the quality of the process and product relative to specific project and organizational goals while the product is being developed, as well as when it is complete. This is to assure we know we are on the right track and can make the appropriate adjustments to the process to achieve our goals. Lastly, we must create a support organization to oversee the quality goals from planning through execution, by evaluation, feedback and improvement.