Software quality

measures of observational error

Usability or user-friendliness can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a software can be used by specified consumers to achieve quantified objectives with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a quantified context of use.

Scalability is the property of a system to handle a growing amount of work. One definition for software systems specifies that this may be done by adding resources to the system.

sub-discipline of systems engineering that emphasizes dependability in the lifecycle management of a product or a system

degree of suitability of software for the intended purpose, including functional quality and structural quality

ability of a system to continue functioning despite erroneous inputs or faults within some of its components

computer program performance degradation process

ISO and IEC standard on software engineering

software version that is stable and supported under a long-term or extended contract

amount of computational resources used by an algorithm

criteria that can be used to judge the operation characteristics of a system, rather than specific behaviors

Maintainability is the ease of maintaining or providing maintenance for a functioning product or service. Depending on the field, it can have slightly different meanings.

property of a computer system to cope with faults in input or execution

term used in the early days of computing science for the difficulty of writing useful and efficient computer programs in the required time

usability of the same software in different environments

means of monitoring software engineering processes, providing adequate assurance that a product or software would meet relevant requirements and quality expectations

quality of an algorithm being correct with respect to a specification

Backporting is the process of porting a software update that was developed for a relatively current version of a software entity, to an older version of the software. It is a maintenance activity of the software development process. Although a backported update can modify any aspect of the software, the technique is typically used for relatively small scope changes such as fixing a software bug or security vulnerability.

discipline that ensures software quality

thumb|right|Part of the Miles Glacier Bridge, with a temporary repair after a March 1964 earthquake and was not permanently repaired until July 2004 thumb|right|Barriers installed to slow down cyclists have been bypassed by creating a [[desire path so that they do not have to brake, thus showing a literal example of a workaround and the path of least resistance ]]

software design methodology

deterioration of software quality over time due to accumulated bugs or changes in environment or dependencies

identification of present hazards as the first step in a process to assess risk

software engineering approach emphasizing security

upright=1.3|thumb|Part of the Miles Glacier Bridge, with a "kludge" (temporary fix) to make the bridge usable after earthquake damage.

In computer programming, reusability describes the quality of a software asset that affects its ability to be used in a software system for which it was not specifically designed. An asset that is easy to reuse and provides utility is considered to have high reusability. A related concept, leverage involves modifying an existing asset to meet system requirements.

system in which each of its components has, or makes use of, little or no knowledge of the definitions of other separate components

system whose failure or malfunction may result in death, serious injury or other severe damage

alt=Goal Question Metric (GQM) Paradigm|thumb|300x300px|Illustration of the goal–question–metric (GQM) paradigm GQM, the acronym for goal, question, metric, is an established goal-oriented approach to software metrics to improve and measure software quality.

Adaptability ( "fit to, adjust") is a feature of a system or a process describing the capacity to adjust in response to new conditions. adaptability in the field of organizational management can be generally seen as the ability to change something or oneself under conditions of the environment. In ecology, adaptability has been described as an organism's ability to adjust and thrive under the conditions of its own environment, see adaptive behaviour (ecology).

discipline of engineering concerned with the principles and practice of product and service quality assurance and control

extent to which software can be tested

system to ensure software meets quality standards

attribute of a part, product or process

system or test object (often of software) that is being tested for correct operation

tendency of small, elegant systems to be succeeded by bloated systems

analysis of data gathered throughout the design and manufacturing of a product in order to confirm that the process can reliably output products of a determined standard