Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

In search for a widely applicable and accepted software quality model for software quality engineering

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Software Quality Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Software Quality Engineering is an emerging discipline that is concerned with improving the approach to software quality. It is important that this discipline be firmly rooted in a quality model satisfying its needs. In order to define the needs of this discipline, the meaning of quality is broadly defined by reviewing the literature on the subject. Software Quality Engineering needs a quality model that is usable throughout the software lifecycle and that it embraces all the perspectives of quality. The goal of this paper is to propose the characteristics of a quality model suitable for such a purpose, through the comparative evaluation of existing quality models and their respective support for Software Quality Engineering.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. In 2002, the ISO/IEC JTC1 sub-committee SC7—Systems and Software Engineering—replaced the term “metric” by “measure” to align its vocabulary with the one used in metrology. This paper will use the term measure whenever possible

References

  • Adey, C. A., & Hill, G. K. (2000). Quality / ISO 9000 as a marketing tool, [on line]. http://www.smps.org/mrc/articles/0200qualityiso.pdf.

  • Bazzana, G., Anderson, O., & Jokela, T. (1993). ISO 9126 and ISO 9000: Friends or foes? Presented at Software Engineering Standards Symposium.

  • Biehl, R. E. (2001). Six sigma for Software. IEEE Software, 21(2), 68–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boddie, J. (2000). Do we ever really scale down? IEEE Software, 17(5), 79–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boehm, B. W., Brown, J. R., Kaspar, J. R., Lipow, M. L., & MacCleod, G. (1978). Characteristics of software quality. New York: American Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boehm, B. W., Brown, J. R., & Lipow, M. L. (1976). Quantitative evaluation of software quality. In Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on Software engineering, San Francisco, California, United States (pp. 592–605). IEEE Computer Society Press.

  • Bourque, P., Dupuis, R., Abran, A., Moore, J. W., Tripp, L. L., & Wolff, S. (2000) Fundamental principles of software engineering – a journey. Journal of Systems and Software, 62(1), 59–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Côté, M.-A., Suryn, W., Martin, R. A., & Laporte, C. Y. (2004). Evolving a corporate software quality assessment exercice: A migration path to ISO/IEC 9126. Software Quality Professional, 6(3), 4–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crosby, P. B. (1979). Quality is free: The art of making quality certain. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz, M., & Sligo, J. (1997). How software process improvement helped motorola. IEEE Software, 17(5), 75–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dromey, R. G. (1995). A model for software product quality. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 21, 146–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dromey, R. G. (1996). Cornering the chimera. IEEE Software, 13(1), 33–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haley, T. J. (1996). Software process improvement at Raytheon. IEEE Software, 13(6), 33–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Georgiadou, E. (2003a). Software process and product improvement, a historical perspective. International Journal of Cybernetics, 19(10), 172–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Georgiadou, E. (2003b). GEQUAMO – a generic, multilayered, customisable. Software Quality Model, 11(4), 313–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Highsmith, J. (2002). Agile software development ecosystems. Addison-Wesley Professional.

  • IEEE (1998). Std. 1061–1998 IEEE standard for a software quality metrics methodology.

  • ISO/IEC (1999a). ISO/IEC 14598-1 Software product evaluation-part 1 : General overview. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISO/IEC (1999b). ISO/IEC 9000:2000 Quality management systems – Fundamentals and vocabulary. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISO/IEC (2001a). ISO/IEC 9126-1: Software engineering-software product quality-part 1: Quality model. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISO/IEC (2001b) ISO/IEC DTR 9126-2 Software engineering – software product quality-part 4: Quality in use metrics. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISO/IEC (2003a) ISO/IEC TR 9126-2: Software engineering-software product quality-part 2: External metrics. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISO/IEC (2003b) ISO/IEC TR 9126-3 Software engineering-software product quality-part 3: Internal metrics. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitchenham, B., Pfleeger, S. L. (1996). Software quality: The elusive target. IEEE Software, 13(1), 12–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laitinen, M. (2000). Scaling down is hard to do. IEEE Software, 17(5), 78–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, R. A., & Shaffer, L. (1996). Providing a framework for effective software quality assessment. Bedford, Mass: MITRE Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCall, J. A., Richards, P. K., & Walters, G. F. (1977). Factors in software quality. Griffiths Air Force Base, NY: Rome Air Development Center Air Force Systems Command.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfleeger, S. L. (2001). Software Engineering: Theory and practice (2nd edn.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pressman, R. S. (2001). Software engineering: A practitioner’s approach (5th edn.). Boston: McGraw-hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siaka, K. V., Berki, E., Georgiadou, E., & Sadler, C. (1997). The complete alphabet of quality software systems: Conflicts and compromises. 7th World Congress on Total Quality&Qualex 97, New Delhi, India, 17–19 February.

  • Siaka, K. V., & Georgiadou, E. (2005). PERFUMES: A scent of product quality characteristics. SQM 2005, UK.

  • Suryn, W. (2003). Course notes SYS861. Montréal: École de Technologie Supérieure.

  • Voas, J. (2003). Assuring software quality assurance. IEEE Software, 20(3), 48–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ubisoft Canada, Quebec, QC, Canada

    Marc-Alexis Côté

  2. Software and Information Technology Engineering Department, École de technologie supérieure, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Witold Suryn

  3. Middlesex University, London, UK

    Elli Georgiadou

Authors
  1. Marc-Alexis Côté
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Witold Suryn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elli Georgiadou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc-Alexis Côté.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Côté, MA., Suryn, W. & Georgiadou, E. In search for a widely applicable and accepted software quality model for software quality engineering. Software Qual J 15, 401–416 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11219-007-9029-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11219-007-9029-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation