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Software Quality ISO Standards

The ISO/IEC 9126 standard describes a software quality model which categorizes software quality into six characteristics (factors) which are sub-divided into sub-characteristics (criteria). The characteristics are manifested externally when the software is used as a consequence of internal software attributes.

The internal software attributes are measured by means of internal metrics (e.g., monitoring of software development before delivery). Examples of internal metrics are given in ISO 9126-3. The quality characteristics are measured externally by means of external metrics (e.g., evaluation of software products to be delivered). Examples of external metrics are given in ISO 9126-2.

Our work focuses on the assessment of the internal quality of a software product as it can be assessed upon the source code. In the following we describe the general quality model as defined in ISO 9126-1 with its properties and sub-properties. Details of the internal aspect of this model are given as well.

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