Software Development Pearls: Lessons from Fifty Years of Software Experience

Chapter 6

Lessons About Quality

Introduction to Quality

I wrote a perfect software application once, in assembly language, no less. It wasn’t large—an educational chemistry game—but it had zero defects and did everything it was supposed to do correctly. I’ve also written a lot more code that, despite my best efforts, contained errors that I had to correct later. High-quality software is important to me, as it should be to everyone who creates or uses software systems. We should all strive for quality in the work we do—but what does quality mean?

Definitions of Quality

People have tried to define quality for ages, but it’s elusive. I’ve seen ...