Quality metrics and measurement in Software Engineering - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a quality metric in software engineering?

A quality metric is a standard of measurement used to assess the quality of software products or processes. It helps quantify attributes like reliability, maintainability, and performance.

beginner

Name three common quality metrics used in software development.

Common quality metrics include:<br>1. Defect Density (number of defects per size of code)<br>2. Code Coverage (percentage of code tested)<br>3. Mean Time To Failure (average time software runs before failing).

beginner

Why is measurement important in software quality management?

Measurement provides objective data to evaluate software quality. It helps identify problems early, track improvements, and make informed decisions to enhance the software development process.

intermediate

What does 'Defect Density' measure?

Defect Density measures the number of defects found in a software module divided by its size (usually lines of code). It indicates the quality level of the code; lower values mean better quality.

intermediate

How can code coverage improve software quality?

Code coverage shows how much of the software code is tested by automated tests. Higher coverage means more code is checked for errors, reducing the chance of bugs in the final product.

Which metric measures the number of defects per size of code?

A Mean Time To Failure

B Code Coverage

C Defect Density

D Response Time

Defect Density counts defects relative to code size, helping assess code quality.

What does code coverage indicate?

A User satisfaction level

B Number of defects found

C Time taken to fix bugs

D Percentage of code tested

Code coverage shows how much code is executed during testing.

Why is measuring software quality important?

A To objectively evaluate and improve software

B To guess the number of users

C To increase software size

D To avoid testing

Measurement helps make informed decisions to improve software quality.

Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) measures:

A Average time software runs before failing

B Number of defects per line of code

C Percentage of code tested

D Time taken to write code

MTTF shows reliability by measuring how long software operates without failure.

Which of these is NOT a quality metric?

A Defect Density

B Number of developers

C Code Coverage

D Mean Time To Failure

Number of developers is not a metric for software quality.

Explain what quality metrics are and why they matter in software development.

Think about how we check if software is good or needs improvement.

Describe how defect density and code coverage help improve software quality.

Consider how counting defects and testing code parts helps find and fix problems.