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Defect characterization

SQM processes find defects. Characterizing those defects leads to an understanding of the product, facilitates corrections to the process or the product, and informs project management or the customer of the status of the process or product. Many defect (fault) taxonomies exist, and, while attempts have been made to gain consensus on a fault and failure taxonomy, the literature indicates. Defect (anomaly) characterization is also used in audits and reviews, with the review leader often presenting a list of anomalies provided by team members for consideration at a review meeting.

As new design methods and languages evolve, along with advances in overall software technologies, new classes of defects appear, and a great deal of effort is required to interpret previously defined classes. When tracking defects, the software engineer is interested in not only the number of defects but also the types. Information alone, without some classification, is not really of any use in identifying the underlying causes of the defects, since specific types of problems need to be grouped together in order for determinations to be made about them. The point is to establish a defect taxonomy that is meaningful to the organization and to the software engineers.

SQM discovers information at all stages of software development and maintenance. Typically, where the word “defect” is used, it refers to a “fault” as defined below. However, different cultures and standards may use somewhat different meanings for these terms, which have led to attempts to define them. Partial definitions taken from standard (IEEE610.12-90) are:

  • Error: “A difference…between a computed result and the correct result”
  • Fault: “An incorrect step, process, or data definition in a computer program”
  • Failure: “The [incorrect] result of a fault”
  • Mistake: “A human action that produces an incorrect result”
  • Failures found in testing as a result of software faults are included as defects in the discussion in this section. Reliability models are built from failure data collected during software testing or from software in service, and thus can be used to predict future failures and to assist in decisions on when to stop testing.

One probable action resulting from SQM findings is to remove the defects from the product under examination. Other actions enable the achievement of full value from the findings of SQM activities. These actions include analyzing and summarizing the findings, and using measurement techniques to improve the product and the process as well as to track the defects and their removal.

Data on the inadequacies and defects found during the implementation of SQM techniques may be lost unless they are recorded. For some techniques (for example, technical reviews, audits, inspections), recorders are present to set down such information, along with issues and decisions. When automated tools are used, the tool output may provide the defect information. Data about defects may be collected and recorded on an SCR (software change request) form and may subsequently be entered into some type of database, either manually or automatically, from an analysis tool. Reports about defects are provided to the management of the organization.

Questions & Answers

A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
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cm
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A mouse of mass 200 g falls 100 m down a vertical mine shaft and lands at the bottom with a speed of 8.0 m/s. During its fall, how much work is done on the mouse by air resistance
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what is inorganic
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Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
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2. A sled plus passenger with total mass 50 kg is pulled 20 m across the snow (0.20) at constant velocity by a force directed 25° above the horizontal. Calculate (a) the work of the applied force, (b) the work of friction, and (c) the total work.
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you have been hired as an espert witness in a court case involving an automobile accident. the accident involved car A of mass 1500kg which crashed into stationary car B of mass 1100kg. the driver of car A applied his brakes 15 m before he skidded and crashed into car B. after the collision, car A s
Samuel Reply
can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Joseph Reply
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
Joseph
"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
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progressive wave
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Mujahid
A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?
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Source:  OpenStax, Software engineering. OpenStax CNX. Jul 29, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10790/1.1
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