CPE 308

Turner (taken from Stearns)
Quality Attribute Definitions


some generic examples   an example specification from the Winter 2003 CSC 405 class   some example test plans from an 205 class   FURPS+ model  
These definitions were written by CSC 405/406 students in the 2000/2001 academic year; email corrections or improvements to csturner.


Quality Attribute:Definition
Accuracy: percent of data that is correct OR
a measure of how close an (incorrect) value is to its correct value.
Adaptability: the ability of software to meet changing needs of users.
Aesthetics: measures of the physical appearance of the user interface.
Compatibility: ability to work with another device or system without modification.
Configurability: ability to change the operational parameters of a system without writing code.
Consistency: display must follow an organized pattern of regularity.
Correctness: measure of exact adherence to specifications.
Documentation: text or diagrams that assist the user or future developers in understanding the software
Extensibility: effort required to add/modify functionality to an application.
Frequency/Severity of Failure: how often and how damaging failures can be.
Human Factors: the degree to which displayed items and user actions follow some level of intuitiveness.
Installability: the effort needed to install software.
Interoperability: the ability of a system to exchange data or services with other systems.
Legal Issues: requirements about licensing and other legal issues.
Localizability: effort required to change/configure locale-specific text, numbers or other features.
Maintainability: effort required to understand, isolate and repair defects.
Portability: effort to migrate application to another platform
Predictability: a statement about when or how the product will function
Readability: the ease in which code or code specifications may be read and understood
Recoverability: ability to restore the state prior to unexpected system failure.
Reliability: ability of a system or component to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time.
Resource Consumption: max. memory, input/output devices and bandwidth used by the system.
Response Time: max. time for a system to respond to a user command
Reusability: the degree to which code is suitable for use by other applications.
Robustness: The degree to which a system continues to function corrrectly when confronted with defects in its components or operating conditions.
Security: describe how the product provides access to features and data by user classes.
Serviceability: effort required for a user support person to reconfigure the system.
Speed: some measure of work divided by processing time.
Testability: effort required to test a program or a component of a program.
Thruput: maximum number of transactions/second
Understandability: fitness, ease and convenience of use of the user interface.
Usability: Aesthetics + Consistency + Human Factors + Understandability

Last updated on 1/2009