Measuring software product quality: a survey of ISO/IEC 9126

To address the issues of software product quality, the Joint Technical Committee 1 of the International Organization for Standardization and International Electrotechnical Commission published a set of software product quality standards known as ISO/IEC 9126. These standards specify software product quality's characteristics and subcharacteristics and their metrics. Based on a user survey, this study of the standard helps clarity quality attributes and provides guidance for the resulting standards.     

Validating the external quality subcharacteristics of software products according to ISO/IEC 9126

The study statistically tests the proposition of the ISO/IEC 9126 standard that higher external quality (quality when software is executed) implies higher ‘quality in use’. For this purpose, the study based on 75 user survey data shows that individual external quality subcharacteristics are positively associated with user satisfaction as defined in ‘quality in use’. This study also investigates the external quality subcharacteristics that strongly influence user satisfaction. Our results provide guidance for the revision of the Standard as well as supporting management decisions (i.e., resource allocation) aimed at improving software product quality.     

An approach to quality engineering of TTCN-3 test specifications

Experience with the development and maintenance of large test suites specified using the Testing and Test Control Notation (TTCN-3) has shown that it is difficult to construct tests that are concise with respect to quality aspects such as maintainability or usability. The ISO/IEC standard 9126 defines a general software quality model that substantiates the term “quality” with characteristics and subcharacteristics. The domain of test specifications, however, requires an adaption of this general model. To apply it to specific languages such as TTCN-3, it needs to be instantiated. In this paper, we present an instantiation of this model as well as an approach to assess and improve test specifications. The assessment is based on metrics and the identification of code smells. The quality improvement is based on refactoring. Example measurements using our TTCN-3 tool TRex demonstrate how this procedure is applied in practise. B. Zeiss is supported by a Ph.D. scholarship from Siemens AG, Corporate Technology.     

Quality specification and metrication,results from a case-study in a mission-critical software domain

Software quality is of increasing importance in mission-critical embedded software systems. Due to the fast growing complexity and accompanying risks of failures of these systems, software quality needs to be addressed explicitly by software developers, preferably with a systematic method for an optimal implementation of software qualities, such as reliability, time-behavior and usability. At the Centre of Automation of Mission-critical Systems (CAMS) of the Dutch Royal Navy, a new approach has been defined for software developers to improve the way that they deal with software quality in the process of mission-critical systems engineering. The stepwise approach is based on both an international quality standard for software product quality, i.e. ISO9126, and on Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques, i.e. analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The stepwise approach has been validated in a case study. In particular, the tailoring of the ISO9126 standard toward the specific CAMS development situation, and the applicability of AHP techniques, from the perspective of software developers, has been investigated. The case study is carried out in a representative software development project, i.e. the software for combat management systems (CMS) of warships. Results of the case study show that software developers can explicitly deal with quality on the basis of both the ISO9126 standard and the AHP techniques, respectively regarding the specification, prioritization and metrication of software product quality.     

The Evolution Path for Industrial Software Quality Evaluation Methods Applying ISO/IEC 9126:2001 Quality Model: Example of MITRE’s SQAE Method

This paper examines how the industrial applicability of both ISO/IEC 9126:2001 and MITRE Corporations Software Quality Assessment Exercise (SQAE) can be bolstered by migrating SQAEs quality model to ISO/IEC 9126:2001. The migration of the quality model is accomplished through the definition of an abstraction layer. The consolidated quality model is examined and further improvements to enrich the assessment of quality are enumerated.     

Specifying software quality with the extended ISO model

Specifying the quality of software products is a valuable addition to functional specification, clarifying product properties such as learnability and availability. Specifying such properties is considered difficult due to the different parties involved and the implicit nature of the requirements. The QUINT project gathered experience with product specification by means of the Extended ISO model: an extension to the ISO 9126 model of software quality. By defining indicators and specifying how they should be measured, quality specifications can make requirements explicit. Recommendations and pitfalls for composing a specification are grouped by the context in which quality specifications can be used.     

基于ISO质量模型的软件质量评价方法

研究了软件工程中软件质量评价的问题，指出了目前软件质量评价的不足，对最新的ISO／EC9126软件质量模型进行了归纳和细化，并应用神经网络方法，将联想记忆模型应用于软件质量的评价，实验和实践证明该方法具有较好的效果。     

Eliciting and prioritizing quality requirements supported by ontologies: a case study using the ElicitO framework and tool

As software complexity grows and clients demand higher quality software, quality requirements can no longer be considered to be of secondary importance. Thus, eliciting, specifying, prioritizing and validating quality requirements is a prerequisite to the development of effective and efficient information systems. Despite the critical importance of quality requirements, there is a considerable gap in the breadth and depth of quality requirements engineering (RE) support in most RE approaches. In practice, it is often the case to have quality requirements considered as an afterthought in the systems development process. While there is a wealth of modelling techniques and tools for functional requirements, there is very limited support for quality requirements in RE. Support for quality requirements is usually ad‐hoc, without clear guidelines on how to capture, specify and manage quality requirements and also without proper usage of standardized terminologies based on established quality models such as the ISO/IEC 9126 quality model. In this paper, we discuss a quality‐driven RE framework and tool that applies knowledge management techniques and quality ontologies to support RE activities. The ontology implements the quality characteristics and metrics prescribed by the ISO/9126 quality model, providing a common vocabulary to address quality concerns/aspects across RE activities. We empirically validate how the framework and tool can be used to effectively support the requirements elicitation and prioritization activities through a case study addressing the development of an intranet portal project at the University of Manchester.     

基于EC9126软件质量模型的评价方法

研究了最新的ISO/EC9126软件质量模型,并结合实际进行了归纳和细化。对软件工程中软件质量评价的问题进行了概括,指出了目前软件质量评价的不足。应用神经网络方法,将联想记忆模型应用于软件质量的评价,实验和实践证明该方法具有较好的效果。     

Customizing ISO 9126 quality model for evaluation of B2B applications

A software quality model acts as a framework for the evaluation of attributes of an application that contribute to the software quality. In this paper, a quality model is presented for evaluation of B2B applications. First, the most well-known quality models are studied, and reasons for using ISO 9126 quality model as the basis are discussed. This model, then, is customized in accordance with special characteristics of B2B applications. The customization is done by extracting the quality factors from web applications and B2B e-commerce applications, weighting these factors from the viewpoints of both developers and end users, and adding them to the model. Finally, as a case study, ISACO portal is evaluated by the proposed model.     

浅谈软件质量度量和软件产品评价

软件质量度量和软件产品评价系列标准是国际标准化组织ISO／IEC JTC1近年来在软件工程标准方面的研究重点之一,对于通过量化手段进行软件产品的度量和评价,规范软件产品的质量管理,这两个系列标准提供了一条可以参考的实施途径。本文在多年跟踪研究国际上软件工程标准和制定软件工程国家标准的基础上,对ISO／IEC JTC1近年推出的ISO／IEC 9126和ISO／IEC 14598系列,以及正在研制的ISO／IEC 25000系列标准进行综合介绍。     

基于证据理论的软件功能可信度的评估

证据理论是一种经典的处理不确定性信息和解决信息不完整的方法,软件属性和质量因子大都具有模糊性,很多因子不能用确定的数值表示。基于ISO/IEC9126质量模型中给出的27个软件子特性,利用证据理论及其合成规则计算了软件功能可信度,并给出了实例说明该方法的有效性。最后,总结了该方法的不足。     

软件构件质量度量

基于软件质量标准ISO／IEC9126：2001《软件工程产品质量》,探讨了软件构件的质量度量问题,首次提出了完整的软件构件质量模型：外部和内部质量模型以及使用质量模型,为度量软件构件质量提供了新的方法。最后以外部易组装性度量为例,给出了软件构件质量度量的量化方法。     

Model for measuring quality of software in DVRS using the gap concept and fuzzy schemes with GA

A model of software quality is proposed to measure the quality of the software in a digital video recorder system (DVRS) during its development stage. The characteristics and metrics of this model are adopted from ISO/IEC 9126 and 14598. The model incorporates a λ-fuzzy measure, a genetic algorithm and a hierarchical Choquet integral. It is based on the gap concept between perceive performance by the developers and satisfaction by the end-users, acquirers and evaluators of third parties in software development stage. A checklist about of the software quality is used to reduce the gap between the quality of the DVRS software quality as assessed by the developers and that as assessed by the end-users, acquirers and the evaluators of third parties.     

软件维护性及其度量

维护性是软件的重要质量特性。介绍了Martin和McClure、Gilb、Kurt D.Walker、IEEE std 982.1_1998及ISO/IEC9126_2000标准等提出的软件维护性度量方法，指出了今后研究的发展方向，对进行软件维护性的分析与设计工作具有指导意义。     

The SQUID approach to defining a quality model

This paper describes an attempt to use the approach developed by the SQUIDproject, which was part of the ESPRIT 3 programme, to define the software quality requirements of the Telescience project. The SQUID project developed its approach to quality modelling in parallel with ongoing feedback from testing that approach on the Telescience project, which was both large and software intensive. As part of this exercise we used the ISO software quality standard ISO 9126. It was an assessment of this and other existing quality models that caused us to re-assess what was meant by a quality model and led to a decomposition of existing quality models into a composite model reflecting the different aspects of the model and its mapping onto a specific project or product. We break existing quality models into components which reflect the structure and content of the model. This composite model must then be customized for an individual product/project, we call this customized model a Product Quality Model. Application of this approach to the Telescience project identified a number of practical problems that the SQUID project needed to address. It also indicated a number of problems inherent in the current version of ISO 9126.     

软件质量评价体系及其实现

近年来,随着国际竞争的不断升级,“质量是软件的生命”这一口号已深入人心。软件质量评价作为软件质量保证的重要手段,已逐渐被开发商、用户所重视。世界上有许多机构开始进行质量评价的形式化手段研究,并推出了如DIN66285,ISO9126等软件质量评价标准。本文就是对这一领域的研究,主要分析了软件质量的科学评价方法,总结了得出的一些算法与心得,在国内首次提出了评价模型分级的设想,并在计算机上加以实现。     

基于模糊评价方法的网络安全评价研究

针对网络安全性评价研究中的度量问题建立了基于ISO/IEC9126标准的网络安全指标体系模型.结合网络安全评价方法研究中的模糊性和不确定性等常见问题,首先以度量数据和各项指标计算公式为基础计算其指标值.其次,运用指标体系模型和模糊评价方法对评价指标进行模糊化处理.最后,结合各指标评价质量和模糊综合评价方法评价网络安全性.通过建立网络安全性评价模型,有效地解决了网络安全性的多指标评价问题,可用于指导相关人员进行网络安全方面改进.     

Standardized code quality benchmarking for improving software maintainability

We provide an overview of the approach developed by the Software Improvement Group for code analysis and quality consulting focused on software maintainability. The approach uses a standardized measurement model based on the ISO/IEC 9126 definition of maintainability and source code metrics. Procedural standardization in evaluation projects further enhances the comparability of results. Individual assessments are stored in a repository that allows any system at hand to be compared to the industry-wide state of the art in code quality and maintainability. When a minimum level of software maintainability is reached, the certification body of TüV Informationstechnik GmbH issues a Trusted Product Maintainability certificate for the software product.     

Weight-modeling of B2C system quality

The efficiency and cost effectiveness of internet technologies have already transformed the web into a global environment for business. However, designing, developing and supporting e-commerce systems having quality in mind is a challenging task. The quality of a Business to Consumer system may be assessed from two complementary, orthogonal, points of view: as a software system and as a service to end-users/customers. As a software system it must be assessed by professional software engineers, the evaluators. They are best in assessing top down the system. As a service it must be assessed by customer's perspective, the end-user. They provide a bottom up evaluation approach of the system. In this work, these points of view are combined in a weighted model which uses the external quality characteristics and sub-characteristics of ISO9126 as a baseline for further decomposition into technical and user-oriented features. The model can be used forward and backwards: forward for evaluating in detail the qualitative strengths and weaknesses of an existing B2C system; backwards for balancing quality improvement with development criteria.