Achieving Quality Software

The third edition of the highly successful Achieving Quality Software provides a concise and readable description of the main quality issues which arise in the use of software, particularly in safety-related applications. Current safety principles are described using the `safety life-cycle'. A full picture of current guidance and standards is given.
The traditional methods used to enhance software quality are detailed and their limitations emphasized. Tools and techniques are fully explained. Documentation control, languages and programming standards, review, test, static analysis and fault tolerance are all covered.
Moreover, formal mathematical methods are addressed, with examples, and their benefits and limitations are explained; the controversial areas of metrics and failure rate measurement are outlined; comprehensive checklists and a case study are provided, together with a glossary and bibliography; a fully worked example of source code static analysis is provided. Achieving Quality Software is suitable for all engineers involved with programmable safety-related systems, especially hardware design engineers and software engineers. Not only quality and design engineers in software-related organizations, but graduate students on software and safety and reliability courses will find this book invaluable.

Autorentext

David J. Smith, past Chairman of the Safety and Reliability Society is the author of six successful works on reliability, quality, software and statistics. He has been directly associated with this branch of engineering, in the process and telecommunications industries, for over 20 years and is well known for his courses and workshops on these subjects. He currently runs his own consultancy.

Klappentext

The third edition of the highly successful Achieving Quality Software provides a concise and readable description of the main quality issues which arise in the use of software, particularly in safety-related applications. Current safety principles are described using the `safety life-cycle'. A full picture of current guidance and standards is given. The traditional methods used to enhance software quality are detailed and their limitations emphasized. Tools and techniques are fully explained. Documentation control, languages and programming standards, review, test, static analysis and fault tolerance are all covered. Moreover,

• formal mathematical methods are addressed, with examples, and their benefits and limitations are explained;
• the controversial areas of metrics and failure rate measurement are outlined;
• comprehensive checklists and a case study are provided, together with a glossary and bibliography;

• a fully worked example of source code static analysis is provided. Achieving Quality Software is suitable for all engineers involved with programmable safety-related systems, especially hardware design engineers and software engineers. Not only quality and design engineers in software-related organizations, but graduate students on software and safety and reliability courses will find this book invaluable.

  Inhalt

  Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. Part One: The background to software engineering and quality. 1. The meaning of quality in software. 2. Software failures and the life cycle. 3. Integrity and the safety life cycle. Part Two: Guidance, legislation and liability. 4. Legislation and liability. 5. Current standards and guidelines. 6. Certification and competence. Part Three: Achieving quality software. 7. The traditional approach. 8. Formal methods in requirements. 9. Formal methods in design. 10. Review and test. 11. Static analysis. 12. Languages and their processors. 13. Achieving fault tolerance in design. Part Four: Management issues. 14. Software management issues. 15. Metrics and modelling. Part Five: Case study. 16. Software system design exercise - addressable detection system. Appendix 1: Checklists. Appendix 2: Glossary of terms and abbreviations. Appendix 3: Bibliography and references. Index.