An approach to software reliability prediction and quality control

December 5-7, 1972, Fall Joint Computer ConferenceThe increase in importance of software in command and control and other complex systems has not been accompanied by commensurate progress in the develop- ment of analytical techniques for the measurement of software quality and the prediction of software reliability. This paper presents a rationale for imple- menting software reliability programs; defines software reliability; and describes some of the problems of performing software reliability analysis. A software reliability program is outlined and a methodology for reliability prediction and quality control is presented. The results of initial efforts to develop a software reliability methodology at the Naval Electronics Laboratory Center are reported

The determination of measures of software reliability

Measurement of software reliability was carried out during the development of data base software for a multi-sensor tracking system. The failure ratio and failure rate were found to be consistent measures. Trend lines could be established from these measurements that provide good visualization of the progress on the job as a whole as well as on individual modules. Over one-half of the observed failures were due to factors associated with the individual run submission rather than with the code proper. Possible application of these findings for line management, project managers, functional management, and regulatory agencies is discussed. Steps for simplifying the measurement process and for use of these data in predicting operational software reliability are outlined