A Proposed Basic Model for the Probabilistic Assessment of the Performance Quality of Computer-Based Systems

An assessor evaluating the extent to which a computer-based system meets performance requirements may have to consider and reconcile results from disparate sources of evidence, necessitating the application of engineering judgment. In addition, the assessor may not have all the evidence to make a definitive pronouncement of performance quality and therefore must factor in uncertainty into the assessment. We propose an adaptation of our basic “Good Enough” methodology, which offers a means by which the intuitive assessment of the acceptability and importance of disparate product and process evidence regarding the quality of characteristics of computer-based systems can be formalized and documented, to address this situation. An initial, basic version of the method’s mathematical model of the assessment process, customized for the evaluation of product evidence indicating the quality of a system’s performance, is presented in this short communication for review and comment by the performance community.