Updated April 20, 2023
Introduction to Software Quality Attributes
Software Quality Attributes can be explained as the characteristics of the software application system that are kept in check, for meeting the needs of the software application to be eligible for being in good quality. Here, for the software quality standards, the term quality can be defined as a scale for distinction, for meeting the needs of the customer or end-user, for satisfying the principles of the application is expected to follow, to hold the user-friendly aspects, etc. These attributes are categorized to be the non-functional requirement specification, which needs to be met in order to make the software system quality exceptional.
Top 9 Software Quality Attributes
For Software to be seen as a capable and operational application, for the client/ the end-user to use the system without any glitches, there are quite many attributes used for examination. The below are a few such Software quality attributes,
1. Adaptability
Adaptability can be defined as the case where a software system is assessed for interactive ability, and it adapts every action performed on the application to be matching with the individual user’s needs. The validation for adaptability is said to be passed when a possible issue in the software is captured and tested for precision. On the other hand, one can say that it is not probable to foresee the wants of the types of users and to point out the one finest system arrangement for the said situation. Hence, there comes a need for various combinations of users and patterns of usage, to go with the existing functionality.
2. Compatibility
Compatibility is an important attribute to be validated for making the software system a high-quality product. The term compatible can be explained as a scenario where more than one item can co-exist and function well when connected with one another. The malfunctions here include the issues, the conflicts, the interferences, etc., and these issues are not supposed to be occurring for a product to be of good quality.
3. Durability
Durability is an attribute typically verified upon the database system connected to the software application, and it is performed as a part of the ACID property validation of the database management system. The ACID here stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation and finally, the Durability test, where the Durability attribute is validated when a database transaction is declared or committed, the commit remains the same inside the system. This is not changed even when there is a mishap on the database, like a server crash or data collapse.
4. Transparency
One of the most essential attributes to be checked for the Software Quality validation is the application’s Transparency from the end-user point of view. These are not direct requirement specifications, instead it is derived based on the tester’s observation. The observations are gathered over time, to form a list of scenarios to keep the application transparent for usage. This aspect of the system is used for keeping the software to be user friendly, so that the users can access the application without any guide from an external element.
5. Flexibility
Flexibility can be defined as a characteristic of high quality software, where the application has the capability to act in response to latent changes that can affect the product value with respect to the requirement specification provided. It is performed with a given time span, and a reasonable cost. It is confirmed by watching the system response to ambiguous situations for the application to maintain its worth. Indecisive functional flow can lead to many risks in terms of usability, security, performance, etc., and so the Flexibility of the application is important to be met for the Software to have its quality assurance.
6. Efficiency
The Quality Assurance of a software application is very much dependent on the product’s efficiency, which can also help with the system performance while being used by the designated user. It helps in evaluating the software to the extent by which the various connected resources, such as the server memory, processing capability, response time of every element, application navigation route, etc.
7. Robustness
Robustness can be defined as the software quality assurance aspect, which is used for evaluating the application’s capacity to handle the errors that occur during execution. The testing for this is carried out by entering a range of incorrect inputs, and recording the system’s reaction for each such input. This evaluation can be applied on different areas of a computer, like the internal programming, the hardware works, security features, the integrity of the systems, exception handling ability, error management ability, etc.
8. Scalability
Scalability of a Software application can be defined as the system facility where it allows the application to accommodate an increasing amount of efforts, by keeping additional room for new incoming resources to the software system. This increased task can be of any type, namely the data related contents like newly added login/ user profile data to the database, newly connected integrated applications from other platforms, newly added systems to the network connectivity, newly added functional elements to the user interface, newly added web elements to the middleware applications, etc. This attribute of the software gives plenty of leeway when the software is expected to have future goals for growth and expansion. This gives greater benefits in terms of the cost spent for expansion, in addition to the other elements of the software.
9. Modularity
Lately, Modularity has become another essential attribute for software to be qualified to be of remarkable quality, as it makes the software more flexible and adaptive to the incoming changes. Modularity can be defined as a property that lets the software to be seen as a group of multiple smaller units of functional elements, instead of being handled as one big unit. This attribute is preferred by most organizations, as in case of any mishap, only the affected module needs to be fixed, and there is no need to look into other modules.
Conclusion
Software Quality Attributes are validated for every software application system, so as to keep the software in a deliverable quality. These attributes are seen as the scale or degree to measure the excellence of the software, as it can give the client or the end user a clear view on what is exceptional and what is failing in the application.
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This is a guide to Software Quality Attributes. Here we also discuss the definition and top 9 software quality attributes which include, adaptability, compatibility, and flexibility, etc. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –
