Assurance of Software Quality

This paper commences with a detailed Software Inspection is a method of static testing to discussion of the problems and difficulties associverify that software meets its requirements. It enated with software testing. It is shown that large gages the developers and others in a formal process software systems are so complex that software comof investigation that usually detects more defects in panies are obliged to terminate the testing process the product—and at a lower cost—than does maand release such systems with every expectation chine testing. Users of the method report very sigthat the software still contains many errors. The nificant improvements in quality that are accompossibility of using statistical models as an aid to panied by lower development costs and greatly deciding on the optimum time to release software is reduced maintenance efforts. Excellent results have discussed and several such models are described. been obtained by small and large organizations in The idea of "disciplined" programming as a means all aspects of new development as well as in mainteof reducing software error content is also denance. There is some evidence that developers who scribed, and ancillary topics such as formal specifiparticipate in the inspection of their own product cations and program proofs are discussed. Other actually create fewer defects in future work. Beconcepts, such as fault-tolerant software and softcause inspections formalize the development procware complexity measures, are also briefly deess, productivity and quality enhancing tools can be scribed. Finally, the implications of the fact that adopted more easily and rapidly. hardware is cheap and reliable and software is expensive and unreliable are discussed. It is argued Fay85 that many designs currently in use defy engineering Fay, S. D., and D. G. Holmes. Help! I Have to common sense. Update an Undocumented Program. Proc. IEEE Conf. on Software Maintenance. Nov., 1985, Duran81 194-202. Duran, J. W., and J. J. Wiorkowski. CaptureRecapture Sampling for Estimating Software Error Abstract: This paper discusses a method for docuContent. IEEE Trans. Software Eng. SE-7, 1 (Jan. menting and maintaining an undocumented pro1981), 147-148. gram. The paper provides guidance to junior personnel and management of areas that can alleviate Abstract: Mills’ capture-recapture sampling meththe situation. od allows the estimation of the number of errors in The paper specifically addresses: a program by randomly inserting known errors and then testing the program for both inserted and in• First Impressions digenous errors. This correspondence shows how • Resources, Who and What correct confident limits and maximum likelihood es• Approaches timates can be obtained from the test results. Both SEI-CM-7-1.1 (Preliminary) 15 Assurance of Software Quality This is a list of section headings to give an outline • Schedule Assessment of the content of a Software Quality Assurance This paper is directed to those people in industry Plan. It provides some detail as to suggested conwho are faced with documenting an undocumented tent of the sections. program. However, it is also written with the hope that this will give the person supervising the mainMcCall81 tainer a clearer view of the help which can be given McCall J., D. Markham, M. Stosick, and by providing the resources and time necessary to maintain a program in the proper manner. R. McGindly. The Automated Measurement of Software Quality. Proc. COMPSAC 81. IEEE, 1981, 52-58. Hamlet82 Hamlet, R. Program Maintenance: A Modest TheAbstract: This paper describes the use of autoory. Proc. 15th Hawaii Intl. Conference on System mated tools to support the application of software Sciences. Jan., 1982, 21-26. metrics. A prototype tool has been developed under contract to US Air Force Rome Air Development Abstract: Design methods do not carry over into a Center and US Army Computer Systems Command program’s life once it is released. The subsequent Army Institute for Research in Management Infor"maintenance phase" is thought to dominate the mation and Computer Science. A brief description cost and poor quality of software. The only existing of the concept of software quality metrics, the tool, maintenance theory is mini-development: programs and its use during a large scale software developare changed in the same way they are designed, ment is provided. beginning with requirements and proceeding to testing. Maintenance programmers are impatient with Morse86 such a view, because the constraints under which they work make it impractical. Morse, C. A. Software Quality Assurance. Measurement and Control 19 (1986), 99-104. The world defines maintenance as an activity with low unit cost, appropriate when development is too This paper introduces the subject of software qualexpensive. Some facts about real maintenance need ity assurance to a wider audience of engineers so explaining: they may appreciate why software quality assurance 1. Some people have a talent for it; others do has a place of importance in the software process not. and therefore must be considered seriously for all software projects. 2. Some programs are much easier to main-