Using the Cost of Quality Approach for Software

Abstract Cost of software quality (CoSQ) is an accounting technique that is useful to enable our understanding of the economic tradeoffs involved in delivering good quality software. Commonly used in manufacturing, its adaptation to software offers the promise of preventing poor quality, but, unfortunately has seen little use to date. This article discusses the rationale and context for using CoSQ, then defines a basic CoSQ approach that differentiates the costs involved with: handling nonconformances due to a lack of quality, activities performed for the achievement of acceptable quality, and efforts to prevent poor quality. CoSQ implementation issues and suggestions are discussed. The proliferation of this approach will help eliminate the wide-spread and debilitating effects of poor software quality.