Successful Application of Software Reliability: A Case Study

The purpose of this case study is to help readers implement or improve a software reliability program in their organizations, using a step-by-step approach based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Recommended (AIAA) Practice for Software Reliability, released in June 2008, supported by a case study from the NASA Space Shuttle. This case study covers the major phases that the software engineering practitioner needs in planning and executing a software reliability-engineering program. These phases require a number of steps for their implementation. These steps provide a structured approach to the software reliability process. Each step will be discussed to provide a good understanding of the entire software reliability process. Major topics covered are: data collection, reliability risk assessment, reliability prediction, reliability prediction interpretation, testing, reliability decisions, and lessons learned from the NASA Space Shuttle software reliability engineering program.