On the evolution of quality conceptualization techniques
01 Jan 2011-pp 117-136
TL;DR: This work investigates the notion of software product quality from the point of view of its integration into the modeling activities on the same level of abstraction as traditional functional models (a conceptualization of quality).
Abstract: We investigate the notion of software product quality from the point of view of its integration into the modeling activities on the same level of abstraction as traditional functional models (a conceptualization of quality) We pay special attention to the evolution of the approaches for obtaining this conceptualization through the history of conceptual modeling, propose their classification according to common attributes and outline their distinguishing features Based on the proposed classification, we outline a way of establishing an evaluation framework for quality conceptualizations aiming at supporting the choice of a conceptualization solution best suited for the problem at hand
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01 Nov 2010
TL;DR: The theory of granularity as it can be applied to conceptual modelling and, especially, metamodelling for information systems development methodologies is investigated and some granularity-related best practices to take into account are established.
Abstract: The granularity of conceptual models depends at least in part on the granularity of their underpinning metamodel. Here we investigate the theory of granularity as it can be applied to conceptual modelling and, especially, metamodelling for information systems development methodologies. With a background context of situational method engineering, this paper applies some theoretical works on granularity to the study of current metamodelling approaches. It also establishes some granularity-related best practices to take into account when adopting a metamodel, especially for its future use in developing method fragments for situational method engineering. Using these best practices will result in components of better quality and, consequently, better conceptual models and methodologies.
33 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: A number of THE AUTHORS quality models are proposed to address the idiosyncrasies of the different stakeholders and THEY software artifacts involved and are supported by an ontology-based THEY measurement meta-model that provides a set of concepts with clear semantics and relationships.
Abstract: WE practices lack an impact on industry, partly due to a WE field that is not quality-aware. In fact, it is difficult to find WE methodologies that pay explicit attention to quality aspects. However, the use of a systematic process that includes quality concerns from the earliest stages of development can contribute to easing the building up of quality-guaranteed Web applications without drastically increasing development costs and time-to-market. In this kind of process, quality issues should be taken into account while developing each outgoing artifact, from the requirements model to the final application.. Also, quality models should be defined to evaluate the quality of intermediate WE artifacts and how it contributes to improving the quality of the deployed application. In order to tackle its construction while avoiding some of the most common problems that existing quality models suffer from, in this paper we propose a number of WE quality models to address the idiosyncrasies of the different stakeholders and WE software artifacts involved. Additionally, we propose that these WE quality models are supported by an ontology-based WE measurement meta-model that provides a set of concepts with clear semantics and relationships. This WE Quality Metamodel is one of the main contributions of this paper. Furthermore, we provide an example that illustrates how such a metamodel may drive the definition of a particular WE quality model.
12 citations
01 Jun 2012
TL;DR: In this article, the authors address the issue of organizing quality-related interaction between business stakeholders and software developers relying on established common vocabulary and establish a conceptual representation for the process of such interaction.
Abstract: The paper addresses the issue of organizing quality-related interaction between business stakeholders and software developers relying on established common vocabulary. It establishes a conceptual representation for the process of such interaction. This conceptualization is based on a set of notions representing software quality and its particular incarnations; they are used to define the activities of the interaction process. The process is conceptualized on two levels: a coarse-grained level defining the set of generic activities and the conditions of launching these activities and a fine-grained level describing particular interaction steps in detail. The conceptualization is expected to be shared as a part of upcoming ontology of stakeholder quality perception and assessment.
9 citations
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: This chapter summarizes the related state-of-the-art and presents a conceptualization of quality view harmonization and conceptualize the following dimensions: the SUD quality itself, the activities of the harmonization process including the interaction of the parties involved while gathering quality requirements, the knowledge about these parties and the differences in their perception of quality.
Abstract: Due to the nature of software development processes, different parties (users, developers, business actors, etc.) have different views on the quality a system under development (SUD) is intended to have. Consequently, these views have to be harmonized. This chapter summarizes the related state-of-the-art and presents a conceptualization of quality view harmonization. In particular, we will deal with and conceptualize the following dimensions: the SUD quality itself, the activities of the harmonization process including the interaction of the parties involved while gathering quality requirements, the knowledge about these parties and the differences in their perception of quality, and the amount of knowledge about quality-related issues. The conceptualized knowledge of these dimensions forms the basis of an ontology for supporting the interaction process. The structure of the chapter is defined along these dimensions: For every area of knowledge we will propose a set of concepts and align the state-of-the-art approaches to them. The concepts presented here are partly a result of the ongoing project Quality Aware Software Engineering, which is funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).
9 citations
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: An introduction on existing methodologies on business process design and tools is provided and the BPMS paradigm as a generic life cycle approach is proposed for application of a meta modelling platforms to address current and future challenges in different BPM related settings.
Abstract: BPM is a holistic management approach applied by organizations worldwide in different settings and scenarios to address complex requirements of their stakeholders. In this paper an introduction on existing methodologies on business process design and tools is provided and the BPMS paradigm as a generic life cycle approach is proposed for application of a meta modelling platforms to address current and future challenges in different BPM related settings. Categorization of the best practices according to the application context is provided by presenting corresponding cases.
5 citations
References
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TL;DR: This paper presents a middleware platform which addresses the issue of selecting Web services for the purpose of their composition in a way that maximizes user satisfaction expressed as utility functions over QoS attributes, while satisfying the constraints set by the user and by the structure of the composite service.
Abstract: The paradigmatic shift from a Web of manual interactions to a Web of programmatic interactions driven by Web services is creating unprecedented opportunities for the formation of online business-to-business (B2B) collaborations. In particular, the creation of value-added services by composition of existing ones is gaining a significant momentum. Since many available Web services provide overlapping or identical functionality, albeit with different quality of service (QoS), a choice needs to be made to determine which services are to participate in a given composite service. This paper presents a middleware platform which addresses the issue of selecting Web services for the purpose of their composition in a way that maximizes user satisfaction expressed as utility functions over QoS attributes, while satisfying the constraints set by the user and by the structure of the composite service. Two selection approaches are described and compared: one based on local (task-level) selection of services and the other based on global allocation of tasks to services using integer programming.
2,872 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: The Second Edition of Software Metrics provides an up-to-date, coherent, and rigorous framework for controlling, managing, and predicting software development processes.
Abstract: From the Publisher:
The Second Edition of Software Metrics provides an up-to-date, coherent, and rigorous framework for controlling, managing, and predicting software development processes. With an emphasis on real-world applications, Fenton and Pfleeger apply basic ideas in measurement theory to quantify software development resources, processes, and products. The book offers an accessible and comprehensive introduction to software metrics, now an essential component of software engineering for both classroom and industry. Software Metrics features extensive case studies from Hewlett Packard, IBM, the U.S. Department of Defense, Motorola, and others, in addition to worked examples and exercises. The Second Edition includes up-to-date material on process maturity and measurement, goal-question-metric, planning a metrics program, measurement in practice, experimentation, empirical studies, ISO9216, and metric tools.
2,827 citations
"On the evolution of quality concept..." refers background or methods in this paper
...via custom or mixed model QMT [41] allowing modification of the model structure and often omitting quality characteristics from the model descriptions) [37, 53] metadescriptive...
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...it is a taxonomy of quality characteristics with more general ones on the top level and more concrete ones on the levels below, often not changeable (fixed model QMT [41]) and described by example without metainformation....
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04 Jul 2009
TL;DR: This chapter reviews the state of the art on the treatment of non-functional requirements (hereafter, NFRs), while providing some prospects for future directions.
Abstract: Essentially a software system's utility is determined by both its functionality and its non-functional characteristics, such as usability, flexibility, performance, interoperability and security. Nonetheless, there has been a lop-sided emphasis in the functionality of the software, even though the functionality is not useful or usable without the necessary non-functional characteristics. In this chapter, we review the state of the art on the treatment of non-functional requirements (hereafter, NFRs), while providing some prospects for future directions.
2,443 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: Peter Gardenfors's theory of conceptual spaces presents a framework for representing information on the conceptual level and shows how conceptual spaces can serve as an explanatory framework for a number of empirical theories, in particular those concerning concept formation, induction, and semantics.
Abstract: A new theory of conceptual representations as a bridge between the symbolic and connectionist approaches.
1,564 citations
"On the evolution of quality concept..." refers background in this paper
...For many years, QMT significantly outnumbered QOT, but recently the evolution trend started to reflect the growing need for deeper ontological foundations for quality conceptualization e.g. based on cognitive theory [ 46 , 79, 87]....
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...The problem with using such values to organize QCT comparison and evaluation is that quality spaces [ 46 , 57] associated with our dimensions are rudimentary (the choice of values is arbitrary, there is no order or distance defined etc)....
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...Every quality is accompanied with a conceptual space [ 46 ] which is a collection of quality dimensions defining how the individuals are positioned (measured) according to this quality; it is called quality space in DOLCE....
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